


Sunrise Salutations

by Vox (Meislovely)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Arguments, Communication, F/F, Human AU, Improv, Pearl has a gay heart attack, SO MUCH FLUFF, copious amounts of blushing, empty parking lots, fun beach times, minor injury, weaponized flirting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-21 03:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11935362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meislovely/pseuds/Vox
Summary: "You jog shirtless past my house every morning au"When a new schedule has her waking up at the crack of dawn, Pearl finds that she doesn't mind waking up so early.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Commissioned by Moonwatcher13!

Pearl cracked her tired eyes open at the sound of her alarm. She reached over to turn off the soft song coming from her phone, sitting up with a groan and a massive yawn. Briefly, she thought about laying back down, but there was no chance she’d be to work on time if she did.

She forced herself out of her warm, comfortable bed and got ready for the day.

When she was promoted to chief nursing officer, she had been ecstatic. At least, until she realized that she suddenly had to get up at the crack of dawn to be to work on time. Pearl had grown far too used to the graveyard shift, and the two days they allowed her hadn’t been nearly enough to reset her sleep schedule.

She was halfway out the door before she realized that she still had a bit of time left before she needed to be on her way. That was… irritating. There was just too little time for her to become invested in anything, but too much for her to leave early.

Heaving a quiet sigh, she took her coffee and sat on the big swinging bench next to her front door. It hadn’t seen much use. Pearl had bought it for the sole purpose of filling up her -otherwise barren- porch. She’d never been the type to sit outside when there was work to be done. And there was  _ always _ work to be done.

Though, it  _ was _ nice, this early in the morning. The world was still silent with sleep and the colors of the sunrise shone dimly across the pavement beyond her front yard.

Pearl enjoyed the view and sipped from her mug lethargically, hoping that the caffeine would kick in soon- only to gasp and choke on it as a whole other view burst into her sight.

A tall woman jogged down the street, pale hair in a bouncing ponytail. Dark umber skin, streaked with pink and shining with sweat in the low light of the morning, shifted over large, powerful muscles as she ran. And  _ goodness _ , was there a lot of muscle. Her thighs and stomach were taut and straining against the small black shorts and bright orange sports bra. The sun at her back cut a silhouette that slammed Pearl’s heart into an unsteady stumble, eyes wide and mouth drier than a desert.

Golden eyes caught her staring, but Pearl couldn’t muster the mental power to even try looking away. Slowly, a toothy smile spread across her face. Then, she  _ winked _ , and the remainder of Pearl’s thoughts were blasted away, leaving nothing but a burning flush and shaky hands gripping her coffee mug for dear life.

And, as abruptly as she came, she was gone. Jogging down the street and turning the corner. Out of sight, but definitely not out of mind.

After a few moments, Pearl’s brain slowly booted up her logical thought, leaving her to wonder what the  _ hell _ had just happened? With a groan, she buried her burning face in her hands. She couldn’t believe a simple jogger had sent her into such a tizzy and-  _ oh,  _ there was coffee on her shirt!

She fled inside to change her shirt -and make herself look a little less like a flustered mess, then scraped up the shredded remains of her dignity and rushed off to work.

 

The next morning was similar, though this time she had the presence of mind not to spill coffee all over herself in a flushed stupor.

It became something of a routine: Sitting outside with a cup of coffee to help her return to the land of the living, The woman jogging by and giving her a smile and a wink, Pearl trying not to turn into a drooling mess.

There were few things Pearl loved more than a good routine. Throughout the week, she found herself rising earlier and earlier, taking more time to sit on her porch. It had nothing to do with the woman,  _ of course _ , she just happened to enjoy watching the sunrise.

Saturday brought dark clouds, pouring rain from the time she woke up, to the time she went to bed, and even into Sunday morning. Pearl didn’t think the woman would be out jogging Saturday, but the she was: speeding past with a smirk and a wink that made Pearl’s heart pump a little too fast.

Sunday was different.

It started like every other morning. Pearl sat on her porch waiting -she wouldn’t say eagerly- for the woman to jog by. When she came into view, Pearl had to hold back a fond smile at the cocky grin sent her way. Though, the wink never came. Instead, the woman’s bright orange sneaker squeaked and slipped on the slick concrete of the sidewalk.

Surprise flashed across her face as she fell and Pearl lurched to her feet against her will, eyes wide. But, before she could make her way over -or even call out to her- the woman was up and continuing on her way, a bit faster than usual.

Pearl stared after her, concern knotting in her stomach. It twisted further when she saw the faint red stains on the concrete, already being washed away by the pounding rain.

 

Pearl had Monday off, but she still woke up early. She took her cup of coffee outside and watched the sun come up over the peaks of roofs. Pearl sat for a long time; until the sun was completely up and her coffee completely gone.

The concern that curled up and made a home in her stomach the day before grew exponentially. The woman hadn’t missed a day yet. Was she alright? It was a nasty fall she took…

Pearl let out a groan and rubbed at her face furiously. How could she be so invested in the well being of someone she’d never even spoken to? Maybe this was a sign that she need to stop. Maybe drink her coffee on the back porch. Maybe just go to work a little earlier...

She rose to go back inside, limbs like lead. If she was lucky, she could catch some more sleep.

Pearl only managed one step before the jogging woman rounded the corner. Relief washed over her like a warm wave, almost making her weak in the knees. It faded the longer she stared, replaced by an even more potent worry.

The woman’s gait was accompanied by a heavy limp that cut her speed by at least half. Her breath came in sharp gasps, her eyes glued to the pavement at her feet. There was a bandage on her leg, sloppily applied and stained red in slowly growing circle.

Pearl blinked, staring for a moment. Then, before she could process what was happening, her feet were pounding down her steps and towards the woman.

“What in the world are you doing!?” She asked, barely keeping her voice below a shriek.

The woman jolted and blinked slowly at her, eyebrows knit together. “Uh, jogging?”

Oh, her voice was-  _ focus Pearl! _ “Not with your leg like  _ that _ , you’re not.”

She frowned, giving Pearl a half-assed glared. She mostly just looked confused. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Pearl scoffed, setting a firm hand on her arm. That wasn’t a great idea. The way her muscle moved and twitched on Pearl’s hand brought an unbearable heat to her face. She pushed those feelings as far down as they would go, nudging the woman towards her house. 

“Don’t lie to me. I deal with things like this every day.”

The woman let out a tired huff, but let Pearl guide her inside and onto the couch. Pearl unwrapped the haphazard bandages on her thigh, pulling her lip between her teeth when she saw the extent of the damage.

“Why didn’t you go to the hospital?” She asked. It didn’t look like it would need stitches, but the swelling and bruising should have rendered the leg immobile, or at least too  _ painful _ to move. That wasn’t even considering her ankle.

“I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of it.” She muttered.

Pearl shot her an incredulous look. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Working in a hospital (not to mention babysitting her very active godson) saw that her First Aid Kit was  _ very _ well stocked. She pulled it out of it’s cabinet, stopping to grab some latex gloves and an ice pack.

She lugged it all into her living room and set it on the coffee table, gesturing towards it. “Put your leg up here.”

The woman rolled her eyes, but complied. Pearl pulled on her gloves -hours at the hospital making the motion second nature- and pressed a couple of gauze pads over wound. To her surprise, the woman didn’t even flinch at the pressure. She just sat there with her arms folded and a grumpy look on her face.

When the bleeding stopped, she dabbed the rest of the blood away. Luckily, she’d kept it clean and there was no sign of infection. It was simple to sterilize and wrap securely in a bandage. Pearl moved on to the ankle, inspecting it for a moment. With gentle hands, she pressed at the joint, turning it slightly. The woman let out a pained grunt, hands clenching and unclenching.

“Sorry, just making sure it’s not fractured.” Pearl murmured. To her relief, it was only sprained. She wrapped the ice pack in a cloth and pressed it to her ankle.

“Are you satisfied, Doc?” She huffed, tight muscles starting to relax as the cold did it’s magic.

“Pearl.” She corrected. “And yes, I am.”

“So I can finish my jog?”

“ _ Oh no you don’t! _ ” She said quickly, giving her a stern look. “You shouldn’t be walking on it for very long, let alone  _ jogging _ . I don’t know how you can stand it.”

“These looks don’t happen on accident.” She said, shooting Pearl a smirk and tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Pearl’s blush returned in record time and she quickly averted her eyes. “That may be, but it’s not going to heal well if you keep putting stress on it.”

She sighed, putting her First Aid Kit back together and pulling off her gloves. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

She was adamant about not being helped to the car, but soon enough Pearl had her address in her GPS and was driving down the road. The woman’s apartment was only a few streets away, but Pearl couldn’t imagine jogging all that way with a sprained ankle. She had sprained her ankle once, in ballet, and just staggering home was unbearable.

She pulled to a stop outside, turning in her seat to give the woman a stern look. “Try to stay off of it. The more you let it rest, the faster it will heal.” Then -after a moment of hesitation- she pulled a notepad out of the glovebox and scribbled her number on one of the pages, trying to keep the blush off her face as she thrust it into the woman’s hands.

“Here’s my number. Call me if there are any problems. And I’d appreciate it if you came by tomorrow to let me check on it.”

A toothy grin slowly spread across her face, rocketing Pearl’s pulse to a rate that couldn’t be healthy. “Sure thing, Pearl.”

Pearl took a deep breath as the woman got out of the car, trying to regain her composure. Suddenly she gasped, jumping out. “Wait!”

The woman turned, eyebrows raised.

“I never got your name.” Pearl admitted, apologetically.

Another smile was shot her way, this one softer, but no less devastating. “It’s Jasper.”

What a lovely name.

 

True to her word, Jasper walked into view with a smile and a wink the next morning. She wanted to scold her for coming over on foot, but it was leagues better than running and -frankly- she couldn’t muster the brainpower to come up with a coherent argument. Pearl’s slight disappointment that Jasper did, in fact, own more modest clothing was far outweighed by how radiant she looked with her pale hair down in silky waves around her shoulders.

The days passed quickly, with Jasper coming over for a check up every morning. Soon enough, Thursday arrived and Pearl was given the day off. She had stayed up a bit later than usual the night before, getting lost in cleaning and organizing her home. Her new schedule had made it hard to do much more than work and sleep lately, and she had started to fall behind.

She still managed to wake up early, taking her coffee out on the porch with her tank top and sweatpants. The chill in the air was refreshing on her tired eyes.

When Jasper made her way into view, Pearl couldn’t help the goofy smile that spread across her face. 

“Good morning, Jasper.” She called, standing and waving.

Jasper shot her with one of those winning smiles as Pearl opened the door for her. “Morning. Nice outfit.”

Pearl flushed, suddenly feeling quite underdressed. “Yes- well, it  _ is _ my day off.”

“Orange suits you.” She said, motioning towards Pearl’s top and taking her spot on the couch. “I usually see you in pinks and blues.”

“T-Thank you.” She stuttered, giving Jasper a wide smile. Pearl ducked her head in embarrassment, choosing to focus on Jasper’s leg. “You’re healing very well.”

Jasper shrugged. “Always healed fast. I’m strong.”

“Oh, I know.” Pearl murmured before she could stop herself. Jasper raised an eyebrow and Pearl pressed her mouth into a thin line, changing the subject quickly. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure.”

Pearl escaped to the kitchen, wishing fervently that she could stop embarrassing herself every two seconds. Her wish was not granted. As soon as she set the mug in front of Jasper, her stomach called for attention with a loud growl.

Jasper’s eyebrows shot up, “You haven’t eaten yet?”

“Well, no.” She admitted. She didn’t give an explanation though. How were you supposed to tell someone ‘I was so excited about you showing up that I completely forgot about it’?

“Me neither.” Jasper said, standing up. Pearl abruptly realized just how much Jasper towered over her. Then, abruptly realized just how much she was into that. “I’ll make us something.”

Pearl’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Oh no, I couldn’t make you do that! You need to rest your leg and- and you’re a  _ guest _ -!”

Jasper cut her off by lifting her up as if she weighed less than a basket of laundry, placing her gently on the couch. “Don’t worry about it. I need to pay you back for all the bandages somehow. Just relax and watch some tv or something.”

Pearl tried to scrape together an argument, but Jasper had already sauntered into the kitchen. With a sigh, she picked up the remote and turned on her tv, sinking into the cushions.

Soon, a steaming plate of pancakes was placed in front of her. Her eyes grew round, she didn’t even know she  _ had _ the ingredients for pancakes. Jasper took a seat next to her with her own plate.

Pearl picked up her plate and took a small bite, making a low noise of appreciation. They were fluffy and sweet, but didn’t make her mouth feel dry and sticky. Pearl beamed up at her, “These are  _ lovely _ , Jasper! Thank you!”

Jasper’s cheeks turned a flattering shade of pink and she shrugged. “It’s no problem. The least I could do for taking care of my leg. I’ve never had something heal this fast.”

Pride bloomed in Pearl’s stomach and she took another bite, trying not to wiggle with all the happy feelings fluttering around inside her.

The rest of breakfast was eaten quietly and the plates placed on the table. Pearl pulled her knees up to her chest, silently grateful that Jasper hadn’t run off as soon as she was done. The couch was a lot more comfortable with Jasper radiating heat, warming Pearl to her bones without even touching her. 

It was calm. Her muscles relaxed in a way that they hadn’t for what felt like a very long time. She vaguely noticed Jasper’s rasping laugh at something on the tv, but was already too far gone. Her eyes slid shut.

They opened some time later. The warmth was even heavier, soaking into every corner of her sleep addled mind. It was probably due to the muscular arm draped over her narrow shoulders and the chest she rested her tired head against. Slowly, she managed to raise her gaze to a striped face grinning down at her.

“Hi.” Jasper said, rubbing a big hand over her back.

“Hi.” Pearl murmured, leaning into the touch.

“You can go back to sleep if you want.” She said, rasping voice soothing some of the frayed edges of her nerves.

That sounded like a wonderful idea. She nodded sluggishly, forgetting her embarrassment enough to curl further into Jasper’s side. A happy hum escaped her, unbidden, and she let her eyes fall shut again, content to enjoy the warm body against hers and steady heartbeat under her ear.


	2. Chapter 2

Pearl knocked on the thick wooden door of her supervisor’s office, feet aching after a long shift. She was almost tempted to lean against it, but Peridot had a tendency to open doors with a bit more force than necessary.

As if reading her mind, the door swung open. Peridot stared up at her from behind thick glasses. “What do you want?”

Always to the point. “I need the weekend off.”

Her eyes grew wide. “It’s about damn time! We were talking about putting you in quarantine if you didn’t take some time off.”

“It hasn’t been that long.” Pearl scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Peridot retreated into her office, glancing through a few folders before finding Pearl’s and laying it open on her desk. “You haven’t taken leave since last year, when you caught the flu. If I remember correctly, we had to get security to take you to your car.”

Pearl grumbled under her breath, folding her arms. She had been healthy enough to work. Sure, she may have been a  _ little _ stubborn, but security had been completely unnecessary.

Peridot circled a few things on the schedule and closed the folder. “You don’t have to come back until Tuesday.”

Pearl opened her mouth, but Peridot held up a finger. “Let me rephrase that.  _ Don’t _ come back until Tuesday. I won’t hesitate to has you removed from the building.:

Instead of arguing, Pearl simply let out a sigh and turned to get her things together.

As she drove home and the hospital began to shrink in her rearview mirror, so did any frustration she felt about her schedule. A bubbly excitement took it’s place.

She had a  _ date _ .

Well, maybe not a  _ date _ date, but a definite appointment with someone she  _ wanted _ to date. 

It had been a few weeks since Jasper started showing up earlier and staying longer. Sometimes Pearl would invite her to stay for breakfast or a movie on her days off, and, while her heart never stopped it’s awkward gallop at the sight of her, she’d managed to acclimate enough that she wasn’t bursting with nerves.

Though, that hadn’t stopped her heart from skipping a beat or two the morning Jasper had asked her to go to Beach-a-palooza.

 

Jasper strode down the sidewalk with a bounce in her step and the morning sun at her back. Her smile grew the closer she got to Pearl’s house, excitement fluttering in her chest. She had picked her best swimsuit -a bright orange bikini with a thin skirt that came down to her knees- and it felt odd to be wearing it outside of the pool or beach, but she didn’t want to carry clothes around in her bag all day.

Her heart picked up it’s pace when Pearl’s house came into view. With Pearl’s house came Pearl, sitting on her front porch and nursing a cup of coffee.

Jasper could always pinpoint the exact moment that Pearl spotted her. Her back straightened and her eyes widened a bit, a pretty pink flush spreading across her cheeks and her feet fidgeting as if she suddenly had too much energy to stay still. A smile would pull at her lips, and more recently…

“Good morning, Jasper!” She called, waving happily.

Jasper’s grin widened.

Pearl picked up a small backpack and trotted down the steps towards her. Jasper fought the urge to scoop her into a tight hug, settling for a gentle pat on the back. “You ready?”

“Of course!”

She got into the -slightly too small- passenger seat of Pearl’s car, and they were off. Jasper watched the city go by through the window, listening as Pearl hummed along with the quiet classical music she liked to play as her palms became more and more sweaty.

Today, she was going to ask Pearl out.

She had meant to ask her to Beach-a-palooza as a date, but her nerves had tongue tied her at the last second. Her face had been so hot she could hardly get anything out.

Jasper didn’t know what she was afraid of. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Pearl was overwhelmingly attracted to her. She had, in fact, watched Pearl spill coffee all over herself the first time Jasper had jogged by her house. Not to mention her tendency to blush and stutter in close proximity.

Unfortunately for Jasper, it went both ways. It was hard to tear her eyes away from her wide blue eyes and bright smile. Her insides turned to mush at every compliment Pearl gave, and Pearl was  _ very _ generous with her praise. Even the way she always smelled a little like hand sanitizer was somehow  _ endearing _ .

If she didn’t ask today, Jasper was sure she’d explode.

She ran a flustered hand through her hair as the car finally came to a stop. They had to park all the way in the back. Despite how early it was, it seemed like everyone in beach city was already there.

“Goodness, I can’t believe it’s already so packed.” Pearl murmured, rifling through her bag. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah.” Jasper said.

It was quiet for a moment as Pearl found what she needed and Jasper swallowed hard, taking the opportunity before her courage failed. “I was wondering-”

Pearl promptly pulled off her shirt, forcing Jasper’s words to trail off into a shocked wheeze. Luckily, she didn’t have time to have a heart attack before she realized that Pearl had worn her swimsuit under her clothes. Jasper pressed a hand over her racing heart.

Where Jasper’s swimsuit was pretty -and rather flattering, if she did say so herself-, Pearl’s swimsuit was more athletic. A two piece composed of a sporty top that cut off above her stomach and a pair of skin tight trunks. She looked like she came for extreme sports rather than a relaxing day at the beach.

She’d never seen Pearl in much besides sleepwear and hospital scrubs, but her quickly blooming blush was interrupted by what Pearl was strapping to her hip.

“Is that a fanny pack?”

“It’s waterproof.” Pearl assured, as if  _ that _ was Jasper’s point of concern.

Jasper opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but let it go. Fashion disaster or not, she was unbearably cute.

The sun had risen quite a bit since they started their drive. A wave of heat hit Jasper as she got out into the bright parking lot. She squinted and put on her sunglasses, waiting for Pearl to finish locking the car before starting the trek to the ticket booth.

The strong smell of barbeque and sea water permeated the air, sun shining down on the laughing and playing people scattered all over the beach. Jasper couldn’t see any speakers, but the Beach Boys seemed to blast from every direction, just a couple notches higher than necessary.

Pearl walked close beside her, reading the pamphlet she got from the ticket booth with one hand, the other swinging at her side. Jasper wanted to hold it in hers. It was fine in theory, but practice proved much harder. Even the thought sent her heart fluttering.

To her surprise, she didn’t need to do anything. A family got a bit to close as they passed and Pearl scrunched into her side, long fingers tucking themselves into the crook of her elbow and staying there long after the family was gone. Jasper was a grown -and rather large- woman, but  _ damn _ if it didn’t take a supreme effort not to squeal ‘ _ she’s touching me! _ ’

“It looks like they’re having a few contests.” Pearl said, bringing Jasper back to Earth. She held up the pamphlet for Jasper to see. “They could be fun to watch.”

Jasper grinned, pointing to the top of the list. “I’m in the powerlifting competition. They make you sign up a week early for that one.”

Pearl’s eyes widened, a smile blooming over her face. “I didn’t know you were a professional!” She said, her other hand joining the one on her arm.

Jasper tried not to preen, but couldn’t help puffing out her chest a little. “Well, not a  _ professional _ , but I do compete every now and then.”

The speakers cut off with a hiss of static before an overly cheery voice came on. “All participants of the powerlifting competition, please report to the prep room to weigh in!”

“That’s me.” Jasper said, giving Pearl a lopsided smile.

Pearl removed her hands, much to Jasper’s disappointment. “I’ll be cheering for you.”

“I’ll be sure to listen for you.” Jasper threw Pearl a wink. She tried not to chuckle as a flush bloomed over pale cheeks and left her with a wave.

She made her way over to the small stage at the edge of the beach and into the small building attached to it. A blast of cool air from the AC hit her square in the face, giving her a shiver at the quick drop. The other three were already there, gearing up and talking amongst each other like they did every year.

“Jasper! How are you doing?” Rose asked when she caught sight of her.

Jasper fought to keep a frown off her face. She didn’t have anything against Rose, but she was just so… nice. It was off-putting. It didn’t help that she had won the last two years with seemingly no effort.

Jasper shrugged, pulling her gear out of her bag. “I’m alright.”

“Are you excited to get your ass kicked?” Bismuth joked, nudging her a bit and taking a seat next to Garnet.

“Like I’m gonna lose again. The title’s mine this year.” She scoffed, grinning.

“I’m just excited to have fun out there.” Rose chimed in, strapping on her wrist supports.

“You’re only saying that because you can deadlift a semi-truck.” Bismuth pointed out, drawing a snort from Jasper.

Rose giggled, “I  _ have _ been working on it lately.” And she had. Jasper had seen her at the gym recently and her max deadlift was nothing to sniff at.

“Have you been working on your bench just as much?” Garnet asked, knowing smirk on her face.

Rose broke into a sweat, “Well…”

“Time to weigh in ladies!” Mr. Smiley's voice called from the other side of the door.

Weighing in didn’t take long with only four people participating. Before she knew it, they were being ushered onto the stage. The music cut off again, causing people to turn their heads in confusion before Mr. Smiley practically yelled into the microphone.

“Are you folks ready to see the strongest people in Beach city?”

A chorus of cheers rose up from the quickly gathering crowd as they pressed close to the stage. Jasper’s eyes roamed the crowd as they were introduced, trying to pick out the cute peach head of hair in the sea of faces. Her eyes caught on a slim hand sticking out of the crowd, watching as Pearl squeezed past a few people to wave up at her. Jasper felt a grin pull at her lips, turning to focus on Mr. Smiley again.

“We’ll be scoring this competition with the Wilks system.” He explained, “Which means that the maximum weight they lift will be compared to their body weight and scored accordingly.

“We’ll start off with the Deadlift, then the Bench Press, and finally, the Squat. They’ll have three attempts to get a good score on each.”

He turned to them, ever present smile on his face. “Are you ready?”

They all gave him a nod and he whirled back to the crowd.

“Then let’s get started!”

A cheer sounded from the crowd and Garnet stepped up to the front as a few stage hands dragged out the weights and barbells. She said something to them and chalked her hands as they loaded up the bar with 195 lbs. With little fanfare, she bent down and lifted it with no problem. It was good for a first attempt.

They took turns, giving each other time to rest between attempts. Jasper’s blood warmed up as she got up to her max, soaking in the sun and the cheering crowd. The burn in her muscles and the sight of her numbers rising was satisfying on a level she rarely found elsewhere, especially when it was clashing with others.

It didn’t surprise her when Rose pulled ahead with 275 lbs as her final weight, but still let out a growl. Though, the scoreboard was promising. Rose was in the lead with a score of 103, Jasper in second with an 88, while Garnet and Bismuth tied with 85.

It should be easy to overtake Rose. She was great with the Deadlift, but lacking everywhere else. Bismuth was her problem now, but if she kept her scores consistent, she might be able to win this time.

They moved onto the Bench Press and a weight bench was pulled out from backstage. It took a lot out of Jasper, but she managed to get her final attempt up to 135 lbs. Of course, Bismuth beat her by 15 lbs, but she tried to keep her morale up.

Bismuth was now in first with 144, Rose and Jasper tied at 140, with Garnet at 120.

The crowd screamed as Bismuth took a second to flex and throw them a wink. Jasper rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help chuckling.

Finally, they came to the Squats. Garnet stepped up to the rack with a smirk and Jasper held her breath as she squatted 200 lbs on her first attempt -with no visible effort- and shooting herself into first place in one fell swoop.This would be a bit harder than she thought.

Jasper managed 175 on her first attempt, but it was a struggle. If she kept it up, she’d win by a hair.

Unfortunately, her second attempt didn’t go as well. She went down with 180 lbs on her shoulders, but leaned a bit too far forward. Her form faltered for a moment, getting her a red flag and declaring it a failed attempt. Luckily she didn’t hurt anything but her pride.

Garnet gave her a smile and a pat on the shoulder as she passed. Garnet’s final attempt landed her score at 209, Rose coming up next with 208, and Bismuth at 203.

Jasper could try again with 180, tying her with Garnet. She looked over the crowd as she chalked her hands, smiling at all the people cheering for her. One in particular. Pearl jumped and shouted, waving excitedly and looking like she was about to climb over the -appropriately frightened- man to get closer to the stage.

Well, 185 wasn’t  _ that _ heavy.

She braced the bar against her shoulders, unracking it and stepping back.The command came and she lowered into the squat, muscles already burning. It wasn’t until she hit the bottom that she realized an extra five pounds may not have been the best idea. Her legs shook with strain as she pushed against the ground, trying to keep her breathing even.

“You can do it, Jasper!” Pearl’s hoarse voice called. Jasper locked eyes with her, taking in the hopeful, happy spark, and pushed harder. With a grunt, she slowly gained height. Jasper didn’t realize she was done until Mr. Smiley gave the command to rack the bar.

Screams went up from the audience and Jasper turned to look at the scoreboard. 210. She had won.

She grinned at the crowd, endorphins filling her head as Mr.Smiley slapped a medal into her hand and raised it in the air, declaring her the champion.

After the screaming had died down and the music started back up, Jasper pulled the medal on over her head and followed the other three back into the prep room.

“That was amazing!” Rose babbled as Jasper sluggishly pulled off her gear. The endorphins were slowly leaking out of her system and her stomach was  painfully reminding her that it existed.

“Thanks.” She said, accepting the punch on the arm from Bismuth and a thumbs up from Garnet. “I had someone cheering for me.”

Rose gasped, eyes wide. “Oh! Who is the lucky lady?” She sang.

Jasper shoved her gear in her bag, turning towards the door to hide the flush rapidly advancing over her face. “We’re not exactly dating.” She murmured.

Not Dislike didn’t seem to be the proper relationship to start talking about her love life, but it didn’t seem like Rose was one to adhere to social boundaries anyways. She proved Jasper right by adding a giggly, “Yet.”

“Yet.” Jasper relented, hopefully.

Rose squealed as they left the prep room and stepped back into the heat. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a hoarse yell.

“Jasper!”

Jasper hardly had time to brace herself as a pale figure blurred towards her, jumping up and latching wiry arms around her neck and legs around her waist. Jasper let out an ‘oof’, bringing her arms up to wrap them around the giggly woman.

“That was amazing!” Pearl rasped. 

Jasper gave her a light squeeze, heart fluttering pitifully. “Your voice doing alright?”

“Yeah, I just need a drink.” She croaked into Jasper’s neck. “I haven’t screamed that loud in a while.”

It took a monumental effort not to make a dirty joke, even more to keep the hot blush off her face.

“Pearl?” Rose chimed in, effectively ruining the moment.

“Rose?” Pearl squawked, scrambling down Jasper until she was back on her feet. Rose was quickly sliding into Somewhat Dislike territory.

Garnet shot Jasper a knowing smirk before focusing on Pearl. “So you were the one cheering for Jasper.”

“I remember when you cheered for me.” Rose lamented, clutching her heart dramatically and giggling.

Pearl chuckled and smiled in that awkward, too-wide way she did when she was uncomfortable but didn’t want to show it. Jasper distinctly remembered it from when she asked her why she didn’t like spaghetti, or how she could stand being around so many sick people all the time, and took it as a sign to get Pearl out of the situation as quickly as possible. 

“I don’t wanna interrupt, but if I don’t eat something in the next ten minutes I’m going to die.” Her stomach chipped in with a helpful growl.

Rose smiled at them and nodded her understanding. Weightlifting was energy consuming on its mildest days. “Oh, Pearl, Steven is going to join the limbo contest later! He’d love it if you showed up.”

Pearl perked at that, smile becoming a bit more genuine. “I’ll make sure to be there.”

They parted from the group with a wave, Bismuth giving her a not-so-subtle wink and a call of “Good luck!”

“You know them too, huh?” Jasper asked as they made their way towards the food stands.

“I knew Bismuth and Garnet in college,” She stood on her toes to see over the group in front of them, delicate hand finding it’s way back to Jasper’s arm. “Rose and I… We dated a long time ago.”

Jasper’s eyebrows rose, “No wonder you looked so uncomfortable.”

“It was that obvious?” She asked, blinking up at Jasper.

There were some people that talked with their hands and some that talked with their eyes, but Pearl had this curious way of speaking with her whole body. Obvious was a bit of an understatement. “A bit.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. We’ve stayed great friends over the years -me being Steven’s godmother is a testament to that,” She looked down at her feet. “But... I’ve never been able to joke about what we were, like she can.” 

Jasper pulled her arm away, only to drape it over Pearl’s shoulder in an -only slightly awkward- sideways hug, her heart aching at the admission. She was never great at comforting people, but she tried to scrape together something that conveyed how she felt. “I can’t really say I know exactly how you feel… but I’ve had my fair share of Ex Problems, especially not being able to joke about them. I don’t really know if it gets better completely, but it can only go up, right?”

A small smile pulled at Pearl’s lips and she wrapped an arm around her waist to give her a gentle squeeze. “You’re right. It can only go up.”

Jasper smiled, relieved to see her spirits lifted a bit. It left her to consider what an injustice it was that they knew so many of the same people, but had never met until Jasper jogged by her house shirtless. Though, It w _ as _ a good first impression. Her stomach added another growl, a lot less helpful this time.

Pearl let out a giggle. “We’d better hurry, that ten minutes is almost up and it’d be a shame if you starved after winning that lovely medal. What do you want? I’m paying.”

“Pearl, I know you have a good job, but I don’t think your wallet can keep up with my appetite.”

“Then you’ll just have to owe me one.”

 

With full stomachs, they set off to enjoy the rest of the festival. Jasper and Pearl made a day of wandering around, basking in the lighthearted mood.

They found the limbo match, stopping to cheer on Steven and his friend Connie. Steven may not have won but he smiled and laughed nonetheless, encouraging Connie as she made it to second place.

They even made it to see Amethyst -another anomaly in the ‘we have all the same friends’ mystery- win the eating contest. It was a clean win and the runner up was far behind her score, but they couldn’t stay long to congratulate her. Pearl was starting to look a little green by the end.

Finally, they made it to the beach. The water was frigid, but it didn’t seem to deter any of the people splashing around in it.

Jasper dipped a foot in, shivering as goosebumps rose all over her skin. Suddenly, chilly water splashed over her back and she let out a shriek, whirling around to see Pearl knee deep in the water with a faux innocent look on her face.

“You didn’t happen to see who did that, did you?” She growled, eyes narrowed.

Pearl gave her a wide smile more incriminating than a signed confession, batting her eyes. “I have no idea what you mean, Jasper.”

“You don’t? Well, it went a little something like  _ this _ !” She splashed water at Pearl, watching her squeal and bolt away. She took chase, only for another arc of water to hit her right in the face. It quickly devolved into them simply laughing and slapping water at each other. Jasper didn’t even have time to be glad she wore waterproof eyeliner between the giggling and running.

“Yo, Lovebirds!” Amethyst called from the shore, “Time to get out! They’re starting the surf competition!”

Jasper’s cheeks caught fire and she muttered a half formed sentence, only to be cut off by Pearl’s own flustered and indignant noise. She couldn’t really  _ deny _ it -she  _ did _ want to ask Pearl out- but she didn’t want to just idly accept the teasing, leaving her tongue tied and flushed.

They quickly vacated the water, Jasper avoiding eye contact for fear that she would burst into flames at the embarrassment.

People started flocking to the water’s edge, some with surfboards and others with blankets and coolers to set up a nice spot to watch. Pearl motioned Jasper over to a nice spot on a sandy hill, just big enough to see over everyone’s heads.

“Isn’t surfing lovely?” Pearl sighed, watching as the first person crested a wave. “Did you know that it actually takes a lot of calculation? It’s such a delicate balance between gravity, buoyancy, and hydrodynamics.”

Jasper couldn’t help but smile. Only Pearl could have such a dreamy look on her face while talking about science. “Do you surf?”

“I used to compete in college.”

That certainly explained her swimsuit. “Why not join the contest? You don’t have to sign up in advance for this one.”

A brief glint appeared in her eyes as she glanced at the sea, but she shook her head. “Oh, I couldn’t. I’m very out of practice. Besides, I didn’t bring my surfboard.”

“Couldn’t help but overhear that someone needed a surfboard.” Like a spectre, Garnet appeared beside them with a long surfboard in hand, giving them both a startle

Pearl stared at the board for a moment, “Well, I don’t think I’d get very far. I haven’t surfed since I graduated.”

“I honestly didn’t expect to win the powerlifting contest.” Jasper nudged her a little, “It’s not really what I train in, but it was still fun to go out and give it all I had. Who knows, maybe you’ll win too.”

“It  _ does _ look fun, doesn’t it?” She murmured, a hand on her cheek as she watched someone arc their board in a wide circle. “ _ Oh _ , I’ll do it!”

“Will this board do?” Garnet asked, handing it over.

Pearl looked up at it with a smile. “It’s a bit bigger than I’m used to, but it’ll do wonderfully.”

Jasper pat her on the back, nodding over to where the surfers were lined up with a grin. “Go give ‘em hell.”

“I’ll do my best!” 

With that, she headed towards the starting point at a jog, holding the board under her arm.

Jasper passed the time chatting with Garnet, one eye glued to the sign displaying the surfer’s names. Despite seeing her in the gym on a regular basis, Jasper hadn’t been able to talk to her much. Though she was quiet and to the point, she was surprisingly interesting to talk to.

Finally, ‘Elaine Pearl’ lit up the sign and Jasper’s attention was quickly pulled out to the ocean. Pearl bobbed out in the water, sitting on the board for a moment before she began to paddle quickly towards the shore. As if following her, the water began to rise up under her. Pearl waited until it formed a foamy white crest before standing up and shooting down the length of it with a speed that took Jasper by surprise.

The wave gave chase, curling and frothing just behind her. Pearl stayed close to it, drawing wide arcs through the water as if to taunt it. She darted back and forth, occasionally lagging back into the tunnel formed by the water, only to shoot out at the last second.

Jasper couldn’t take her wide eyes off of it, enraptured by how effortless she made it look. Even when the wave finally caught up and Pearl was forced to dive off the board, Jasper found herself jumping to her feet and letting out a loud cheer with a portion of the crowd.

She didn’t have to wait long for the scoring, Pearl was one of the last contestants. And, though she came in 5th place (Which Jasper thought was bullshit, but had no earthly idea how these things were scored) the smile she wore as she came bounding towards Jasper was positively radiant. It took everything Jasper had not to pick her up and kiss her right then and there.

Soon, the festival started winding to an end. As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, vendors and families alike began to pack up and head home. The music and merriment slowly became more and more hushed until only a few voices could be heard across the beach.

Jasper’s chest twisted with anxiety as they took one last walk along the shore. The day had been funner than any other year Jasper had shown up. Coming here with Pearl made everything feel shiny and new despite how many times she’d attended. It felt so much brighter, so much  _ happier _ . 

It filled her with a sudden surge of courage. What better time was there? Here with the sun nearly touching the ocean and tired from a good day. She had to ask now.

“Pearl-”

“Jasper-”

They both paused, looking at each other. Pearl’s posture was tight and tall, her chest puffed out as if she were holding her breath.

“I just-”

“I wanted-”

Jasper felt her swell of courage try to recede, but desperately clung to it.

“I really-!”

“You’re so-!”

Suddenly, Pearl started giggling, face flushed as she tried to stifle it. Jasper tried to get a word in, but just how ridiculous and  _ awkward _ the situation was got to her too, forcing her to stave off her own wave of giggles that quickly progressed to full blown laughter. Pearl’s hand was back on her arm, the other pressed over her mouth as she tried to smother her own laughter.

After a moment, Pearl managed to pull herself together first. “I’m sorry, it just struck me how absurd that was. Please, what were you going to say?”

A wave of stress washed over her, staining her cheeks pink, but it couldn’t take much ground after laughing so hard. “I just- I wanted you to know that getting to know you and hanging out with you has been really great.”

“I’ve really enjoyed it too.” Pearl said, bobbing up on her toes. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think that accosting you with medical attention would lead to spending so much time together, but I  _ certainly _ don’t regret it.”

That soothed Jasper’s nerves, if only a little. “I guess I-”

“I would really like to-” Pearl blurted, face darkening further when she realized she’d cut Jasper off again.

Jasper pressed a hand to her burning face, unwilling to go through the same awkward gauntlet.

“Just say it, ya dorks!” A voice yelled. Their heads turned, seeing that they weren’t as alone as they’d thought. Their friends seemed to be among the people still loitering, milling around further up the beach. Amethyst waved to them, a heaping stick of cotton candy in her other hand. Jasper didn’t know how she could even look at anymore food after that eating contest.

The others looked over at Amethyst’s yell, giving them waves and thumbs up. Bismuth even let out a whoop of “You got this!”. Jasper felt the heat in her face spread over the bridge of her nose and to the tips of her ears.

She turned back to Pearl, who didn’t seem to be fairing much better. Her hands clasped and unclasped nervously, teeth digging into her lip. 

Jasper took a deep breath. “Pearl.”

Pearl’s wide eyes flitted up to her’s and Jasper steeled herself.

“I’d really like to take you out on a date.”

Pearl blinked at her owlishly and Jasper began to sweat. “I mean, if you want to. No pressure or-”

“I’d really like that, Jasper.” She said, beaming up at her with a wide smile.

The manic fluttering filled her chest again, spreading a wide unbidden grin over her face. “You would?”

“Of course!” She squealed, leaping up to wrap her in another spindly-limbed hug.

A cheer went up from their friend, but Jasper didn’t have it in her to be embarrassed anymore. She fell back in the sand with a relieved laugh, breathing easier with that weight off her shoulders. Pearl gasped as they went down, but -after a wiggle to get comfortable- rested her head on Jasper’s shoulder.

Jasper let out a sigh, content to bask in the warm feelings until she remembered why the whole awkward situation had started  “Hey, what were you gonna ask me?”

Pearl’s flush came back in record time, spreading all the way down to her collarbones.”I was going to ask if I could, um,  kiss you.”

Jasper’s heart leapt into her throat and she swallowed. “...Is the offer still open?”

Pearl flashed a brilliant smile, thin fingers splaying gently over Jasper’s cheeks as she stretched up to press their lips together. Jasper’s eyes only stayed open long enough to see the pale spattering of freckles over Pearl’s nose before falling shut. It was chaste and soft, but Jasper’s heart thumped feverishly against her ribs and she briefly worried that Pearl would feel it. The smell of hand sanitizer and salt water had her smiling against her lips, even as her hands found their way to Pearl’s back and pulled her closer.

Another cheer startled them apart and Jasper suddenly remembered that their friends were still in sight. She glared up at them.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than stare at us!” She hollered as Pearl hid her blush in her neck.

“No!” Amethyst hollered back, but relented when Garnet began to herd them away, stopping to shoot Jasper a thumbs up.

Jasper sighed and let out a quiet chuckle, letting her head rest against the sand. Her hands rubbed over Pearl’s back as she watched the sky change from blue, to pink, to orange as the sun finally met the ocean.

“We should get home before it gets too cold.” Pearl murmured, making no move to get up.

Jasper didn’t want the day to end yet. She didn’t want to go home and tell Pearl goodbye, or even disturb her resting spot on top of her. She just wanted to lay there with Pearl and watch the sky change.

Instead she asked, “Maybe a little longer?”

“Yeah, a little longer.”


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose sluggishly over the hills behind Beach City, painting the sky with soft pastel colors. Pearl watched it as she bobbed on her surf board, legs cold in the ocean but face warm in the sparse sunlight.

She let the water carry her gently to the shore, not bothering to stand up. There were a few sedate waves, like the sea itself was just waking, but none that would give her a half decent challenge. When the water was shallow enough, she simply slid off and picked up her board, ambling up the nearly vacant beach.

The few beach-goers up this early were quickly realizing how calm the ocean was, either taking the chance to swim or taking their boards to the sand like Pearl. There was one other, lounging in the sun like a cat that had found the perfect patch of sunlight.

“You look comfortable.” Pearl sat down on the blanket next to her, wincing when she splashed a few cold droplets of water on Jasper’s stomach.

Unphased, Jasper raised her sunglasses to give Pearl a wink. “It’s be a lot more comfortable with you down here.”

Pearl let out a giggle, but laid back against Jasper. She sighed as Jasper’s heat met her water-chilled skin, muscles going slack aside from the hand that halfheartedly tried to rub away the goosebumps she caused.

She closed her eyes for a moment, content to lay in the sun. Pearl wasn’t sure if she dozed off or just relaxed, but the next thing she knew, a big hand was running through her half-dry hair. She hummed, leaning into it.

“Are you ever going to tell me what we’re doing today?” Pearl murmured, letting her eyes stay closed. She was delighted to be on a date with Jasper, but she’d kept their schedule a mystery so far. The only hint she got was that she’d need the whole day.

Jasper’s chuckle bobbed her up and down. “Nope.”

“Then what are we doing here?”

“Soaking up some sun before the main event.” Pearl wasn’t sure if she should classify that as cryptic or mysterious, but was far too content to put much effort into it.

“I could teach you how to surf.” She offered.

“I’ll have to take you up on that another time. I don’t want you to be too tired for later.”

Oh,  _ definitely _ cryptic.

“But there is something you can do for me.”

This had Pearl cracking one eye open to watch her reach for the bag they brought. Jasper pulled out a small bottle, flashing Pearl a grin. “I need to turn over, but I have trouble spreading the sunscreen on my back. Would you mind helping me out?”

Pearl’s other eye snapped open, any sleepiness chased away by the heat rising in her cheeks. “Of course.”

She pushed herself upright as Jasper laid on her stomach and swept her long hair away from her back. Pearl uncapped the sunscreen, glancing at Jasper’s back, which turned to a double take, followed by- Well,  _ she _ wouldn’t call it ogling. Admiring sounded a lot nicer.

She spread some sunscreen on her hand and reached down to touch her back, eyes wide at the hills and grooves of muscle. As her hand made contact, they seemed to shift and move under her palm. Pearl let out a sharp gasp, only realizing after a sharp jolt -and Jasper looking back at her with a mischievous grin- that she’d practically emptied the contents of the bottle on Jasper’s back. She’d have to get her a new one.

“You doing alright back there?”

“Yes. Fine.” She assured, silently cursing how the words came in a squeak.

 

The brakes in Jasper’s car let out quiet squeal as they pulled into their parking space. Pearl made a face at the noise. She’d have to ask Jasper if she could look at her brakes. The flashing lights and large signs quickly took her attention away from the car and towards their destination. “Oh, I didn’t know the carnival was in town.”

Jasper flashed her a smile, “It should be opening in a few minutes.”

A wide smile spread across her face as she got out. The parking lot was even more barren than the beach, only a couple cars spaced far apart. “There certainly won’t be any lines for the rides.”

Pearl stifled a giggle when Jasper puffed out her chest in pride, taking a larger hand in hers as they made their way to the ticket booth.

“What kinds of rides do you like?” Jasper asked, stopping next to a map.

Pearl looked at it with a quiet hum. It was quite a bit bigger than she remembered. They used to only have a little teapot ride and a ferris wheel, now they had all kind of rides and activities.

“Maybe we could start off slow and see what looks good?”

Jasper gave her a nod. “Lead the way.”

Pearl smiled and started towards the rides. Most of them were rather tame. They started out on the ferris wheel, taking a moment to relax and look out over the city before cutting a zig zag pattern through the other rides. By the time they had found their way through most of them, Pearl’s stomach hurt from giggling so much. It felt so childish to ride some of the slower ones, but it was too fun for her to be bothered by it. And she managed to snap a few pictures of Jasper on the merry-go-round.

“Oh hey, they have go karts!” Jasper pointed at a small track near the back.

Pearl perked up, but peered hesitantly at it. “Will we fit in them?”

Jasper chuckled, giving her a gentle pull. “Don’t worry, if it’ll fit me, it’ll definitely fit you.

A few more people had showed up, but they were still sparse enough to get through the line with ease. Pearl took the provided helmet and scrunched into the neon blue go kart, making sure to buckle her seatbelt. Jasper rolled up next to her and Pearl was glad that the helmet helped hide her giggles. Jasper was nearly twice as big as the go kart, her knees almost up to her shoulders in the tight fit. It seems she wasn’t hiding it well enough. 

“You won’t be laughing when I kick your butt.” Jasper growled playfully.

Pearl grinned, “We’ll just have to see.”

The small light in front of them flicked on to red, then yellow, then green, and they were off.

Pearl lagged behind -much to her frustration- until she grew accustomed to the touchy steering and being so low to the ground. Slowly, it became less difficult and she started pulling forward, eyes focused on Jasper. There were other racers, but they didn’t get in her way. One of them even managed to crash to a stop against one of the guardrails.

Jasper glanced back, eyebrows raising when she saw Pearl quickly gaining on her. She was able to block her for a moment, and Pearl couldn’t stifle the smug smile that pulled at her lips when she finally sped up next to Jasper.

“What was that about winning?” She called over the high pitch whine of the engine.

They took a fast corner, Pearl’s smile growing when she realized these tiny things could  _ drift _ .

“You’re lucky these aren’t bumper cars!” Jasper called back.

They skidded into the final stretch of track between them and the finish line and Pearl’s eyes narrowed, foot pressed relentlessly on the gas pedal. Jasper was speeding along beside her and she let out a growl. It was unfortunate that all the cars went about the same speed. The finish line was looming nearer, and at this rate it would end in a tie… but they did have seatbelts and helmets for a reason.

She jerked the steering wheel, swerving towards Jasper. Pearl heard a startled shriek as Jasper pumped the brakes, forcing her to lag behind. With a slightly wild laugh, Pearl shot over the finish line in first place.

She slowed to stop, grinning ear to ear as Jasper screeched to a halt next to her and yanked off her helmet. “That’s  _ cheating _ !”

“The rules said I couldn’t run into you.” She pointed out, “Not that I couldn’t bluff. You would’ve won if you had called it.”

Jasper scoffed, trying to hide the smile that tried to pull at her lips. “You got lucky. Best two out of three?”

“I don’t think it’ll change anything, but you’re on.”

The next race was even better, now that she was used to the steering. She managed to pass Jasper on a corner and took immense satisfaction in the flurry of curses sent her way whenever she kept Jasper from overtaking her. By the time she was crossing the finish line again, her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

When they left -after quite a few rematches- the once quiet carnival was now bustling with people. Pearl was not very fond of crowds. She tucked herself against Jasper’s side, hands set neatly in the crook of her elbow. The lines were much larger no doubt, but she felt like she may have been done with rides anyways.

A big hand patted hers and she looked up to see Jasper’s gaze trained on a large building. “You wanna check out the arcade?”

“That sounds lovely.” Pearl was never very interested in arcade games, but the chance to get away from the heat and away from the crowds was too nice to pass up. She let out a content sigh when the cool air washed over them. The lights were a bit dim and it smelled vaguely like pizza, but there were only a few people milling around.

They ambled up to the counter to get some tokens before looking around. Pearl’s eyes caught on a game and she nudged Jasper. “You want a rematch?” She asked, pointing to a booth with the words ‘Road Killer’ scrawled across the side.

A wide grin spread over Jasper’s face. “I don’t think you’ll be so lucky this time.”

It was a bit cramped in the booth, but they put their tokens in and selected their characters. Pearl looked over the stats, picking the one with the most speed while Jasper chose one with more health. Despite the voice telling her to ‘kill the road’ -whatever that was supposed to mean- she let a smirk spread over her face. This would be easy.

Unfortunately, it was not.

“You rammed me off a cliff!” She shrieked, watching her character tumble down the side of a mountain before respawning  _ far _ behind the rest of them.

Jasper cackled loudly beside her. “No rules against crashing here.”

Pearl sputtered as she did her best to catch up, leaning forward in the uncomfortable seat, but it was far too late. She glared at the game over screen, vigorously ignoring the way Jasper grinned at her. “Best two out of three?”

“I’ll do you one better.” Jasper smirked, “How about a contest? Whoever gets the most tickets wins.”

Pearl scoffed. There was no way she’d lose. “Deal.”

As soon as the tokens were split, Pearl darted further into the dark arcade. Her eyes roamed the neon lights and flashing buttons until the stopped on something that seemed promising.

She trotted up to the whack a mole booth. Steven had gone to an arcade for one of his birthdays and she vaguely remember trying her hand at a similar game and being somewhat good at it. Pearl pushed the tokens in, watching the machine light up and play a tune as she grabbed the small mallet.

Her eyes narrowed when the moles started popping up, and she was pleased to see that she wasn’t wrong about being good at it. She managed to get decent scores, but the machine only dispensed a few tickets. Her eyes were drawn towards Jasper, playing a skeeball machine near the front wall. She already had a small pile of tickets, even more when the machine cranked out a long string of them after her sank the last ball in the 100 slot. Warmth rushed to her cheeks when Jasper caught her eye and threw her a wink.

Pearl grumbled and shoved her tickets in her pocket, resolving to find something that paid out better.

The next game she found was much bigger than the whack a mole game. It was splashed with bright neon colors with Dance Dance Revolution plastered over the side. Well, she  _ was _ good at dancing.

She stepped onto the platform cautiously, wincing a bit when an explosive noise accompanied touching one of the arrows. Another loud noise blasted out of the speakers when she dropped the tokens in and she shuffled through the songs before landing on a techno song with a slow beat.

Arrows began to fill the screen and she followed along with her feet, a small smile blooming. This was actually quite fun, and she couldn’t deny the slight satisfaction she felt every time the words ‘perfect’ or ‘fantastic flashed across the screen.

As she went to deposit more tokens, she suddenly realized that it hadn’t given her any ticket. That it didn’t even  _ have _ a ticket slot. Pearl let out a groan.

At this rate, Jasper would definitely win. She glanced around, spotting her at a basketball booth. Slowly, a plan began to form.

Cheating would be awful, dishonorable-  _ inexcusable _ even. But Pearl wasn’t going to cheat.

She sauntered over to Jasper, hands clasped behind her back in a picture of innocence. Jasper glanced over when she sidled up next to her, giving Pearl a toothy smile. 

“Admitting defeat already?”

“No. Just enjoying the show.” She said airily, watching her shoot a few more baskets. “You’re good at this.”

Jasper chuckled, face turning a shade darker. “I’ve always been good at the sporty stuff.”

“I can see why.” Pearl hummed and trailed a hand along one of Jasper’s arms, delighted at the way the muscles twitched in it’s wake. “You do have quite a bit of… precision.”

Jasper ran a hand through her hair, game all but ignored. It was working, but maybe a bit too well because Pearl didn’t want to stop looking at the adorable mixture of pride and bashfulness that warred on her face. She had to wrap this up quick.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” She smiled and -because she really was so beautiful- popped up on her toes to place a gentle kiss on her cheek, before whirling and walking away with maybe a  _ little _ more sway in her hips than usual. Behind her, the buzzer of a missed shot sounded and she smirked.

Pearl contemplated looking for another game, but her search so far hadn’t been very successful. She walked up to the counter and waved to get the nervous-looking employee’s attention.

They gave her a small smile, fidgeting with their tie. “What can I do for you?”

“Which game has the highest ticket output?”

“Uh, have you tried pinball?” When Pearl shook her head, they pointed towards one of the back corners. “It’s right over there. If your scores are good enough it’ll give you a whole heap of them.”

Pearl gave them a smile. “Thank you.”

“It leans a little to the left.”

With that piece of information tucked away, she set off to find the pinball machine. It was hard to see, in the far corner that the dim lights hardly reached. It looked old and dented and scratched, not quite the picture of promising, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a chance.

Pearl stepped up to the machine and fed the tokens in, pulling the lever back to send the ball careening into the case as the lights blinked on and the music started. 

It was a lot simpler than she expected and it was easy to get a respectable score. The machine churned out a long line of tickets and Pearl grinned. She’d catch up in no time.

The next round was even better. Once she had a basic understanding of how the points worked -and realized how valuable it was to know that it leaned to the left- she was able to make it onto the leaderboard, replacing ‘BDP’ in tenth place. It only allowed her to put in three letters, so she settled on PRL.

A glance at the other scores was less than encouraging. Every single place higher than her was held by ‘BDP’. Not only that, but even ninth place was leagues higher than her score.

But the ticket were plentiful and the game was fun. She didn’t need to beat the high score to have a good time. At least, that’s what she thought.

 

Pearl didn’t know how much time had passed, only that her eyes burned from the blinking lights and prolonged time between blinks. She had managed to claw her way up to fifth place and there was  _ no way in hell _ she was stopping before the number one spot had the letters PRL next to them.

“So this is where you’ve been. I thought I lost you for a minute.” Jasper’s voice came from somewhere to her left. Then again, more astonished, “How’d you get all these tickets?”

Pearl had stopped paying attention to the line of tickets the machine kept churning out a while ago, the noise had simply faded into the other sounds the game made. It played the game over noise and she put in her letters, letting out a short laugh when she found that she’d jumped into third place in one fell swoop.

She turned to Jasper, giving her a wide smile before abruptly remembering that they were having a competition.Her smile turned a bit more smug as she glance at her pile of tickets.

“It turns out I’m rather good at this game.” She bit her lip, feigning sadness. “It seems like our contest is coming to an end soon. But I suppose you’ll have the honor of watching me win. Not to mention beat the high score.”

Jasper narrowed her eyes, one eyebrow raising. Suddenly, a cheshire grin spread across her face and she leaned against one of the nearby machines. “Yeah? Let’s see it then.”

Pearl turned to her game, dropping her last few tokens in and pulling back the lever. She thought that having a spectator might make her nervous, but the feeling quickly faded as her score climbed and her smile grew.

It stopped growing when big hands gently gripped her hips, her eyes widening as heat rushed to her cheeks. Pearl knew exactly what this was. It was revenge. If Pearl had known it would backfire this severely, she wouldn’t have done it. Well… she still would’ve done it, but maybe less carelessly.

“You know,” Jasper drawled, her breath ruffling the hair next to her ear. Pearl swallowed hard, keeping her eyes pinned to the game. “You’re really hot when you’re winning.”

“I-Is that so?” She managed, ignoring the little part of her brain that kept screaming ‘she thinks I’m hot!’ Goodness, Jasper wasn’t even  _ trying _ to be subtle.

“Yeah. You get this smug little smile on your face and you puff up with pride.” Jasper’s thumbs found the small of her back, kneading away the tension that always seemed to pool there and giving her a curious feeling between being completely relaxed and having her heart kicked down a flight of stairs.

Pearl gasped as the pinball machine played it’s game over noise, not realizing the ball had darted past the bumpers. She stared at it for a disbelieving moment before whirling in Jasper’s arms. Jasper hopped back, trying -and failing- to hold back her wide grin.

“You made me lose!” She huffed, unable to put any real heat into the words.

Jasper scoffed, “You started it.”

Pearl made a noise of frustration, unable to really deny it as Jasper darted away. She glanced back at the pinball machine and BDP next to the high score, but decided that it didn’t really matter all that much, and gave chase.

While Pearl was much faster, the chase was prolonged by the giggles that kept tripping her up. Finally, she managed to catch up, wrapping her wiry arms around Jasper to trap her in a hug. Well, trap was a strong word. Pearl had no doubt that Jasper could still move -and take Pearl with her- but she didn’t.

“Oh no, you’ve caught me.” Jasper lamented, grinning down at her. “How will I ever get free?”

Pearl opened her mouth, but was cut off by the voice of the nervous employee. “Um, we actually gotta start closing up. Y’all are gonna have to leave.”

Pearl’s face burned and she released Jasper, pressing her hands together in front of her. “Ah, yes, of course! My apologies.”

“Can we at least cash in our tickets?” Jasper asked, face nearly as flushed as Pearl’s.

The employee hesitated for a moment before giving them a nod and motioning towards the counter. They took their tickets up, funneling them into a little machine that counted them up. Unfortunately -due to the overabundance of distractions- it wasn’t much compared to the prizes. The best they could get was a stuffed bear with pink fur and hearts for eyes.

With that, they were promptly shown out of the building, prize in hand. It seemed that time had passed rather quickly in the arcade. The sky was growing dark as the sun began to set and -much to Pearl’s relief- the crowds had dwindled down to a few stray people getting the most out of the carnival before it closed.

Despite not getting her high score, Pearl had a lot of fun. She wrapped a thin hand around Jasper’s arm, leaning her head against her shoulder and letting out a soft sigh.

“I think you might’ve won.” Jasper said suddenly.

Pearl blinked, looking up at her.

A blush worked it’s way over Jasper’s face. “It was close, but I’m pretty sure you had more tickets.” She mumbled.

A small smile lit up Pearl’s face and she bobbed on her toes, doing her best not to be a sore winner. “Why, thank you, Jasper.”

“I don’t think we ever agreed on what the winner would get, so what do you want your prize to be?”

A mischievous thought wormed it’s way into Pearl’s head. With a subtle look around, she tugged Jasper into the dark space between buildings. Her thin finger framed her jaw and she took a good look at her wide golden eyes before standing up on her tiptoes to press a firm kiss to her lips.

It was hard to pull back with all the fluttering feelings in her chest, but she did, staying up on her toes to press her forehead against Jasper’s. The hands had returned to her hips and she could see the pretty blush spreading over Jasper’s nose, despite the low light.

“Do you think I could get a runner up prize too?” She rasped, looking at her through half lidded eyes.

Pearl let out a giggle and kissed her again, slower this time. Jasper hummed against her lips, hands squeezing and pulling her closer-

“I  _ love  _  you!”

Pearl jolted and let out a surprised squawk against Jasper’s lips, before pulling back to look at her with wide eyes. Jasper’s mouth opened and closed, face looking like it might burst into flames. “I-It’s only-”

“I mean, I’m not weirded out or anything-!”

“I just think-”

Pearl pulled away slightly, trying to get her racing heart under control and letting the stuffed bear that was wedged between them fall to the ground and emit a sappy “I  _ love _ you!”

They both stared at it it for a moment and Pearl felt a bit of the hot adrenaline start to drain out of her, making her a little weak in the knees. Shuddering started in her stomach rising up to her shoulders and mouth until she had to clasp a hand over it to stifle the relieved laughter. Jasper’s laugh wasn’t stifled. She simply threw her head back and laughed to the darkening sky.

When the laughter simmered down to a few giggles, Pearl stepped forward to lean against Jasper and bury her head in her shoulder. She was relieved -it was their first date after all- but excited tingles still spread all the way to her toes, filling her with a sort of nervous energy. Just for a second, she had almost wanted to say it back.


	4. Chapter 4

Jasper squinted at the small ball, lips pursing as she tried to gauge the distance between it and the goal.

“We’ll be closing up in twenty minutes. Please be sure that no personal items are left behind.” The intercom informed.

It was ignored in favor of bringing her club down to tap the ball. Jasper watched intently as it skirted a small hill,  _ barely _ slipped by the blade of the windmill, and rolled out the other side to dive directly into the hole.

Jasper grinned and a hand gently patted her arm as Pearl gave a little cheer.

“That was a lovely shot, Jasper! Why didn’t you tell me you were so good at minigolf?” Pearl gently placed her ball on the starting point.

Jasper shrugged, trying not to preen. “This is one of the only places in town that’ll fit my whole family, and most of them work just down the street. I’ve had practice.”

She watched as Pearl hit the ball, taking a much different trail than Jasper had. It went over hills and hit a number of walls, avoiding the windmill entirely, before rolling to a stop inches away from the hole.

“Oh, shoot. I should have hit it harder.” She murmured, not looking all that miffed about it.

Jasper chuckled, ambling behind as Pearl advanced to putt the ball into it’s goal. “Why did you want to come here right before closing?”

“Just to kill a little time. It seemed fun and we still have…” She checked her phone, “About twenty minutes before we have to be there.”

“And ‘there’ is…?”

“A secret.” Pearl giggled, throwing Jasper a wink that was equal parts adorable and aggravating. She knew it was payback for their last date, but didn’t know how vexing it would be to be on the receiving end of it.

She let out a resigned huff, content to play along for now. 

“Besides, I thought it would be nice to play something where our… competitive nature wouldn’t get the better of us.” She handed Jasper a ball, making her way to the last area.

Pearl had a point.. The arcade had been a blast, but the laid back atmosphere of the minigolf course and the last rays of sunlight shining through the large windows had it’s own special charm.

It wasn’t long before they finished their game and headed for Pearl’s car. Instead of getting in, Pearl grabbed a small backpack and took Jasper’s hand, leading her towards the line of trees on the other end of the parking lot. The minigolf course was right next to the park, but Jasper couldn’t fathom why Pearl would want to go there when the sun had already set and it was too dark to enjoy the scenery.

Jasper shot her a curious look, but Pearl just smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s a short walk.”

As Pearl led her through the sparse trees, lights came into view, followed by the sound of a murmuring crowd. Jasper squinted as she started to make out chairs and blankets scattered on the grass in front of a small, old building made of sun bleached wood with a rickety looking stage attached to it. “What is this?”

“The main event.” Pearl tugged her towards a spot near the front, pulling a blanket out of her backpack and giving it a short shake before laying it out on the grass. “I have a lot of friends in the local theatre department. When they told me about this play, I thought it would be nice to come see it with you.”

Jasper sat down, fighting a smile when Pearl slid herself right into her side and under her arm. “A play, huh? Which one?”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They haven’t done any shows outside this year and thought that -since summer’s ending soon- it’d be a perfect choice.” Pearl wiggled a bit to get comfortable, shooting Jasper a small smile. “I’ve seen this one so many times, but I never seem to get sick of it. Do you like Shakespeare?” 

“I’d be lying if I said I’ve seen a lot of plays, especially Shakespeare, but what I have seen has been pretty good.”

“I think you’ll like this one. It’s very funny, and full of fairies and love magic and bad communication.”

Jasper chuckled. It didn’t sound bad. And even if it was, sitting with Pearl under the stars was far from the worst way to spend her time.

Pearl’s eyes lit up when the beginning musical score rang out, her hand patting Jasper’s arm excitedly. Jasper gave her a gentle squeeze and looked up at the stage. She was expecting it to be mildly interesting, but -as it turned out- it was hard to tear her eyes away.

Jasper watched with rapt attention as Hermia argued with her father. Her actor was a bit slow with her lines, but delivered them well enough to make up for it. She didn’t want to marry Demetrius, the man her father wanted her too, but Lysander; played by a very tall but nervous looking woman.

When her father wouldn’t listen, they ran off into the woods together. But, before they left, they told Helena about their plan. Unfortunately, Helena was smitten with Demetrius -Jasper didn’t know  _ why _ ; he seemed like an asshole- and told him that they were leaving.

She was a bit confused when the next scene didn’t have any of them in it, but rather the king and queen of the fairies, who crossed paths in the forest and started arguing. Jasper couldn’t tell you what they were arguing about, but it seemed important. When they finished and stormed away from each other, the king decided that he wanted to play a trick on her, and ordered his servant to go get a magic flower of some sort.

Jasper hardly noticed that Pearl had crawled into her lap, fuming at Demetrius for abandoning Helena in the woods the first chance he got. It seemed that the fairy king felt the same, because he told his servant to use the flower on Demetrius too.

The servant -Jasper thought his name might be Puck- didn’t put it on Demetrius, but on Lysander instead. And then  _ he _ fell in love with Helena. She felt Pearl’s shoulders shake as she giggled at the antics.

The fairy king,  _ exasperated _ , told him to use the flower on Demetrius too. And he did. The only problem was that they were now  _ both _ in love with Helena, who was understandably weirded out by their sudden change in attitude.

Then, Hermia found them, and things started going downhill fast. They bickered back and forth. Helena, certain that Hermia set this up to embarrass her. Lysander and Demetrius, fighting over Helena. And Hermia, trying to get Lysander to stop.

Suddenly, Lysander turned on Hermia.

“I never desire to see thee again!” Lysander spat, taking a step towards her. “Therefore, be out of hope!”

She took another step, jabbing a finger towards Hermia, “Out of question!”

Another stomp on the shuddering floorboards, “Out of  _ doubt _ , that I do  _ hate _ thee, and  _ love _ Helen-”

With a loud groan and a sharp crack, the floorboards under the two shook and collapsed. Lysander and Hermia fell shrieking through the stage as a collective gasp sounded from the audience.

Jasper’s eyes grew wide and she looked down at Pearl. “Was that supposed to happen?”

Pearl clasped a hand over her mouth, shaking her head.

Some of the actors milled around before an intermission was called and the curtain was dropped to conceal the set.

“I hope they’re alright.” Pearl murmured, wringing her wrists as the crowd began to buzz. Jasper rubbed her back, hoping much the same.

A slight man bolted out from behind the building, looking around wildly before his eyes landed on them and he started over at a trot. As he grew closer, Jasper recognized him as the one playing Puck… and a fairy, and Hermia’s father.

“Pearl!” He stage whispered, dropping to be eye level when he drew near. “We need help!”

Pearl stiffened in her lap. “How bad are they hurt? I can help, but you should really call an ambulance if-”

“No, no, they’re fine!” He assured before she could work herself into a panic. “It’s only a few sprained ankles and some bruises, but they can’t continue the play. 

“Pearl, I know you have this play memorized line by line, will you play Hermia?”

Pearl jolted, eyes wide. “What? I- Don’t you have any understudies?”

“I  _ am  _ the understudy. I’m already covering for two people  _ and _ playing my part. As much as I’d love to, I just can’t fill anymore roles.”

“Well, I  _ do _ know the part…” Then, as if trying to talk herself out of it, “B-But I have no experience acting. I don’t think it’ll turn out well, Jamie.”

Jamie took her hands, “Pearl,  _ please _ . I just know you’ll be great at it. The show must go on!”

“You do have a flair for the dramatic.” Jasper added, seeing her resolve begin to waver.

“Oh, I’ll do it!” She declared. Jamie -and a few members of the audience that had become nosy about the ruckus- let out a cheer.

Jasper hated to cut the celebration short, but there was another glaring problem. “Who’s going to cover for Lysander?”

Their faces fell. But slowly,  _ ominously _ , their eyes turned towards her; Jamie sporting a lethal puppy dog pout, and Pearl with stars in her eyes. Jasper regretted saying anything.

“Absolutely not. I don’t know any of the lines-”

“You can improvise!” Jamie supplied quickly.

“I only have a  _ vague _ idea of what this play is about-”

“I’ll help you out with context clues.” Pearl added.

“And I haven’t been in a play since elementary school.”

“We all gotta start somewhere.” Jamie grinned, “It’s not hard. And even if you mess up, we can cover for you!”

Jasper’s eyebrows knit together, but kept her glare firmly in place. It certainly didn’t  _ sound _ that hard, but Jasper was not an actor in any sense of the word. Instead of refusing again, she made the mistake of looking down at Pearl’s big blue eyes.

A small hand reached up to hold her cheek and she  _ knew _ that Pearl was only fluttering her eyelashes to turn her to mush -but that didn’t stop it from working. “How am I supposed to play Hermia without my Lysander?”

Jasper heaved a sigh, growling in an effort to keep the blush off her face. “ _ Fine _ .”

Any attempt to fight off her blush was swiftly thwarted when Pearl let out a happy squeal and pressed kisses all over her face. It was hard to be grumbly after that anyways.

Jamie wasted no time steering them into the small, drafty building. The actors were gathered around the two that had fallen through the floor, talking quietly amongst themselves until Jamie trotted up to them. “We need some extra outfits, we still have a show to finish.”

A small cheer went up from them and the woman playing Helena darted over to push a pair of outfits into their hands.

As Pearl rushed over to the dressing room, the woman playing Demetrius sauntered over, giving Jasper a lazy smile.

“So you’re gonna be Lysander? What’s your name?”

“Jasper.”

“Cool, I’m Jenny. This is Sadie,” Jenny motioned towards the woman playing Helena. “I haven’t seen you in any plays, are you on stage often?”

“Not outside of weightlifting competitions.” Jasper admitted.

Jenny let out a whistle, eyebrows raised, “You ever seen the play?”

Jasper shook her head.

“This is gonna be tough.” She chuckled.

“You can say that again.” Sadie sighed, “And we still have to avoid the hole in the floor.”

“I think I can do something about that.” Pearl’s musical voice chimed in. Jasper turned, heart thudding heavily against her ribs at the flowing white dress she wore and the crown of flowers perched neatly on her head.

“A few minutes and a tool box and it’ll be good as new.”

“I think we have one around here somewhere.” Sadie wandered in the direction of one of the closets.

“You can fix floorboards?” Jasper asked.

Pearl shrugged, but couldn’t disguise the way her chest puffed up with pride. “You learn a few things when you’re living in a house alone.”

“Found it!” Sadie called, coming over to hand the small toolbox to Pearl.

“Excellent!” Pearl stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to Jasper’s cheek before hefting the toolbox towards the stage.

Jasper smiled after her for a moment before making her way to the dressing room.

Luckily, the actress playing Lysander was fairly tall. Unluckily, she was not nearly as built. Pulling the outfit on was a struggle and she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she was one flex away from a public indecency charge, but she managed.

Jasper walked carefully out of the room, tugging on the sleeves in hope that they’d loosen a bit - with no luck. After a moment of waiting, she spotted Pearl making her way backstage again, shaking sawdust from her dress and righting her flower crown.

“Pearl, I don’t know if this is gonna work out.”

Pearl turned to look at her, did a double take, and pressed a hand to her cheek. “Oh my.”

“Maybe I should ask Jamie for a looser-”

“Now let’s not be hasty!” Pearl blurted. Jasper raised an eyebrow, trying not to smirk at the pink swiftly spreading over Pearl’s face. “I-I mean, these outfits are made to be very durable. I’m sure it’ll hold up.”

“If you say so.”

“Are you both in costume? Great! Let’s get this show on the road!” Jamie announced, darting around like a hummingbird to shoo everyone towards the stage.

Jasper felt a hot flash of panic as the stage loomed closer. She leaned down near Pearl’s ear. “Uh, what should I be doing?”

“How’s your Shakespeare?” Jasper winced. Pearl laid a hand on her arm. “Just keep me from killing Helena.”

That was vague and alarming, but they were already onstage and Jamie was on the other side of the curtain announcing the end of intermission.

All too soon, the lights flicked on and the curtain rose and Jasper’s heart leapt into her throat. Her eyes darted to the others, unsure if she should say something.

Much to her relief, she didn’t need to. Like a switch had been flipped, Pearl went from giddy excitement to fiery anger as she turned towards Sadie.

“Oh, you juggler! You canker blossom- you  _ thief of love _ !” Pearl spat, giving Jasper a jolt. “What, have you come by night and stolen my love’s heart?”

Sadie scoffed, “Nay! Have you no modesty, no touch of bashfulness? Fie, you counterfeit! You puppet!”

“ _ Puppet!? _ ” Pearl gasped, glaring daggers. “Now I perceive she hath made compare between our statures.”

Jasper would’ve laughed -Sadie was nearly a foot shorter than Pearl- if she hadn’t taken a menacing step forward when she said it.

“She hath urged her height! And are you so  _ high _ in his esteem because I am so  _ dwarfish _ and so  _ low _ ?” She took another step, eyes flicking to Jasper for a moment. “How low am I, you painted maypole? I am not so low that my nails cannot reach unto thine eyes!”

Pearl sprung towards her and Jasper scrambled forward to hold her back, having to pick her up to keep her flailing limbs from Sadie.

Sadie ducked behind Jenny as Jasper tried to haul Pearl to the other side of the stage. As easy as it was to pick her up and carry her around on a regular basis, it was less so when she was trying her hardest to go the other way.

“I pray you gentlemen, let her not hurt me! I have no gift at all in shrewishness, let her not strike me!” Sadie pled, “You perhaps may think, because she is lower than myself, that I can match her!”

“Lower!?” Pearl shrieked.

“Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me.” Sadie hesitantly stepped out from behind Jenny. “I evermore did love you, never wronged you, save that… in love unto Demetrius, I told him of your stealth into this wood.”

Pearl gasped dramatically, a hand covering her mouth as she went limp in Jasper’s arms, but Sadie continued. “To Athens I will bear my folly back. And follow you no further, let me go.”

She huffed, folding her arm. Jasper took a chance and set her down, relieved when she stayed put. “Get you gone. Who is it that hinders you?”

“A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.”

“What, with Lysander?”

“With Demetrius.” Sadie insisted.

“Be not afraid,” Jenny spoke up, puffing out her chest. “She shall not harm thee, Helena.”

“Oh, when she is angry, she is keen and shrewd.” Sadie lamented, shaking her head. “She was a vixen when we went to school. And although she be but little, she is fierce.”

“Little! Nothing but ‘low’ and ‘little’! Let me come to her!” Pearl dropped and darted between Jasper’s legs, catching her off guard and making a break for Sadie. Jenny darted in front of her, bringing Pearl to an abrupt stop so Jasper could haul her up under her arms.

“Get you gone, you dwarf.” Pearl murmured to her. “Say it.”

“Get you gone, you dwarf!” Jasper repeated in a loud growl, setting her back on the other end of the stage.

“Thou art too officious, let her alone.” Jenny pushed her shoulder, “And speak not of Helena! If thou darest, we shall try who is right!”

Jasper was unsure without clear instruction or Pearl whispering lines in her ear. But, she knew an invitation for a fight when she heard one. She pinned Jenny with one of her meanest looks, bringing her hands up to crack her knuckles as she tried to think of something to say. “If thou wishes to try who is right, then I am quite sure thou art wrong.”

Okay… that sounded a lot less lame in her head. Jenny didn’t seem to think so, hands raised and looking at her in shock as a sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

“L-Let us not be rash! I am sure that a… compromise will present itself to us.”

“A compromise?” Jasper scoffed, taking an aggressive step forward. “Why not draw thy blade and have this matter settled quickly?”

Jenny took a matching step back, “A gentleman never draws his sword in front of a lady. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”

“It sounds to me like a coward’s argument, but go on. Convince me.” Jasper huffed.

“Why not let Helena decide who should woo her?” Jenny motioned to Sadie, who stared at them with wide eyes. “Since we seem to have much trouble deciding amongst ourselves.”

Jasper nodded. That was a great idea, but left another question. “And what of thy love for Hermia? Thou came into this wood for her, spurning Helena.”

“I was blind then. My heart belongs to Helena now.”

“Then you-  _ thou _ art blind now!” Jasper argued. She pointed a finger at Pearl, “Can thou not see how fair and how strong Hermia is?”

“Obviously thou can.” Jenny grinned, eyes narrowed slyly. “Is she not thy love? Why stray to Helena?”

Heat rose in Jasper’s face and she sputtered. Was this how the play was supposed to go? She knew that the flower still had effect, but Hermia was Lysander’s true love, wasn’t she? Jasper growled, frustrated. “Enough of this fruitless babble. Draw thy sword and let us be done with this.”

“It seems thy blade rises for Hermia, not Helena.” Jenny snickered. A few giggles and hoots from the audience had Jasper’s face heating further. “And in vain. She is not so fair or so strong that she compares to the sun that shines in Helena’s eyes.”

“Aye, but the sun is too bright. Would thou not rather have the moon shine it’s gentle balm on thy weary eyes?” She asked, folding her arms.

“Hark!  _ Again _ thou upholds Hermia? How am I to believe thou hates her so when thou can not even harm her for Helena’s sake?”

“What, should I hurt her? Strike her? Though I hate her, I will not harm her.”

“Then make up thy mind!” Jenny put her hands on her hips. “Thou speaketh her praise when thou swear by thy sword that thy heart belongs now to Helena. Wherefore? Does thy sword know not where it should point?”

“Maybe I do not make all decisions with my sword.” Jasper grumbled, trying not to smile at the few chuckles drawn from the crowd again.

“If not that, then what?” Jenny stomped towards her, “Thy heart is fickle and mind indecisive. I know for a fact that I am in love with Helena, what is it that thou knows?”

Jasper sputtered, “I am in love with… Helena?”

“Thou dost not sound so sure.” Jenny tittered

“He has a point.” Sadie volunteered, “Thou sayest that thou art in love with me, But Hermia holds thine eyes like I do not.

“Tell me, what is it thou sees in me?”

“Um… thou art very pretty?” It was more a question than an answer. “And, uh, nice?”

Jenny’s shoulders shook. “Pretty and nice? Compared to Hermia’s fair and strong?”

“I… I…” Jasper was at a loss. The blinding lights and murmuring crowd made it even harder to think. She swallowed hard, heart pounding in her chest. “I don’t know.”

A small hand touched her arm and some of the tension drained out of her shoulders. Pearl looked up at her with wide eyes. “Dear Lysander, please consider carefully. Thou hast known me and loved me for so long, why is it that thou pursues Helena so?”

“P-Hermia, I know not what draws my heart to her.”

“Maybe it is not thy heart?” Sadie suggested, looking like she was about to hide in her dress when all eyes turned on her. “M-Maybe there is something else driving thou to me. Something  _ wrong _ .

“As sure as the sun rises and greets the day every morn, and as sure as the tides return from the sea to lap at the sand, so sure is Lysander’s love for Hermia. It simply cannot be that his love strays my way.”

“They’re right.” Jasper decided. Jamie said that they could improvise, and damn if she didn’t want to pick Pearl up and kiss her silly for looking at her like that.

Jenny grinned, but it quickly turned to fear when the entire stage gave a mighty shudder that had Jasper breaking into a sweat too. Boards began to splinter and fall, but the ones under her feet were oddly still. Pearl was not so lucky. She gave a shriek as the wood under her feet gave way and Jasper looped an arm around her waist. With a grunt and a hard tug, Pearl was pressed against her and Jasper struggled to keep her balance on the small platform.

Jenny and Sadie let out yelps as they fell under the stage, followed by more as even the actors backstage were affected.

Eventually, all that was left was the small patch of wood where Jasper and Pearl stood. The irony that this was the exact place that the original Lysander and Hermia fell -the spot that  _ Pearl _ fixed- didn’t escape her.

She glanced down at Pearl’s panicked face and up at the shocked silhouette of the audience, but a loud whisper caught her attention. She looked down at the gaping pit that the stage had become, spotting Jamie pushing his way out from under a few boards, covered in sawdust and splinters.

“The show must go on!” He wheezed, waving dust away from his face. “The show must go on!”

Jasper’s eyes darted between him and the audience. Was he absolutely bonkers? The stage was gone, the other actors were gone. Hell, the only spotlight left standing was the one shining directly in her eyes!

Slowly, an idea formed and a grin split her face as Pearl gave her a bewildered look.

“They’re right.” Jasper said again, pulling her even closer. “My heart may have wandered to Helena, and my eyes with it. But they’ve both returned.

“My heart beats only thy name,” She looked around at the remains of the stage, “And the only one I can see is you.”

Pearl gasped, hands coming up to hold Jasper’s cheeks. Before another thought could cross her mind, Pearl was on her toes, pressing their lips together in what felt like a shower of sparks and shooting stars. When she drew back, she could hardly breathe, voice coming out in a whisper. “Wow.”

Pearl giggled, but they were abruptly reminded of the world around them as the audience roared and screamed before them. They barely had time to take a bow -an awkward one, with so little space on their platform- before some blessed soul finally dropped the ragged curtains.

 

“I can’t believe we did so well.” Jenny sighed, sitting down in the grass to lean against the side of the building as Sadie took a seat beside her.

Jasper eyed it wearily. She wouldn’t be surprised if that decided to collapse too. The whole place was one stiff breeze away from a pile of rubble. 

The others had already finished celebrating a job well done and had gone home for the night, leaving only the four of them and the last couple bottles of wine to wait for Jenny and Sadie’s ride home.

“I sure as hell wasn’t expecting it.”

Sadie chuckled, “Yeah, that could’ve ended up real bad. I heard someone call it ‘transformative’ on their way out.”

“It sure was something else after we got a hold of it. The plot had more holes than swiss cheese.” Jenny drawled.

“I’m just glad nobody got hurt.” Pearl sauntered over, handing out wine glasses. “This building is a safety department nightmare.”

Jenny motioned to Jasper with her glass. “I was honestly scared that you were about to rip me in half on stage. How in the hell did you get such a mean look?” Then, with a laugh, “And do you have any tips?”

“I work in a gym next to the college.” Jasper shrugged, sipping the sweet red wine. “It was either that or carry around a big baseball bat, and I just don’t have the room in my bag.”

Jenny snorted, nearly spilling her drink. “That’ll do it. I reckon I should go for the bat though.”

“Swords work as well.” Pearl added, leaning back on one of her hands.

Jasper’s eyebrows rose. “Is that why you keep a sword next to your door?”

Pearl simply grinned, drawing a round of chuckles.

They talked and drank for a while, taking the time to relax and unwind from the stressful performance. Finally, their ride came and they waved Jasper and Pearl goodbye.

Jasper had just finished her second glass, a pleasantly bubbly feeling buzzing in her head. She had no idea how many Pearl was on but was starting to suspect that the lithe woman could hold her wine much better than her. The wine-blush that stained Pearl’s cheeks made Jasper want to stare at her for as long as she could, and the animated way her hands moved when she said something filled Jasper’s chest with pastel pink paint and warm cotton.

“Is there a ghost behind me?” Pearl asked, a knowing smirk on her face.

Jasper chuckled and finally tore her eyes away, not minding the heat in her face much. “No. If that were the case, I would’ve picked you up and gotten the hell out of dodge.”

Pearl giggled, a hand over her mouth. “No need to be afraid. If they were real, I doubt they could harm us.”

“I’m not scared, just… wary.”

Pearl crawled over unsteadily, leaning against Jasper’s arm. “Of course not. No spectral beast could possibly best you in combat.”

A laugh took Jasper by surprise, suddenly aware that Pearl didn’t hold her wine as well as she had thought.

“In fact, we should go see.”

That cut her laugh short, leaving her to squint warily as Pearl staggered to her feet. “See what?”

“The ghosts!” Pearl sang, “Well, not ghosts. Ghosts don’t exist. Let’s go see the nonexistent ghosts.”

Jasper frowned as Pearl attempted to pull her to her feet. “I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

“Maybe so.” Pearl admitted, “But I still think it would be fun.”

Jasper hummed, mouth pursed. It couldn’t hurt, could it? “I hope it’s within walking distance, there’s no way either of us are driving.”

“Of course!” Pearl beamed, taking Jasper’s hand and tugging her towards the park’s exit.

In a small town like Beach City, it was rare to see cars around at night. Only streetlamps lit their way as Pearl lead her down the sidewalk. Jasper briefly wondered what time it was -it was nearly one when the play ended- but didn’t have time to wonder long.

She nearly bumped into Pearl as she came to a stop in front of a large iron gate. “Here we are.”

Jasper looked up, sweat starting to prickle at her skin as she read the words ‘Beach City Cemetery’.

“This is immoral at best, and illegal at worst.”

“I’ve been here a few times.” Pearl assured, “It’s actually quite nice as long as you stay out of the groundskeepers sight. And his vision isn’t what it was a few years ago.”

Jasper blinked. How long had Pearl known the groundskeeper? More concerning, how long had she been breaking into graveyards in search of ghosts?

But Pearl was right. Ghosts were definitely not real, and she was definitely not afraid. “Alright, let’s do it.”

“Give me a boost?”

After they scrambled over the gate, Pearl led her deeper and deeper into the cemetery. All of the perfectly trimmed hedges lining the path and the uneven headstones and statues rising out of the ground like a set of crooked teeth made goosebumps rise all over Jasper’s arms.

“You know, I’ve always been fascinated by the occult.” Pearl murmured, hands in her pockets. There was a chill in the air that signalled the end of summer, and Jasper wondered if the thin blue sweater would be enough to keep her from catching a cold.

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know, it always seemed so… plausible? No that’s not the word. It feels like it could be true, but there’s never been any hard evidence to support it. At least, none that I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

Pearl motioned to the graveyard around them, “I used to come here all the time, hoping I could find something. I figured a cemetery would be prime ghost territory, but nothing ever happened. It’s peaceful though.”

That made Jasper breathe a bit easier.

“And you should see some of the tombstones.” She added, smiling.

Jasper tilted her head, “Uh, why?”

Pearl led her to a few of them, and Jasper understood. Every other headstone had something on it that made the place seem like the world’s weirdest joke book. From knock knock jokes, to awful puns, to funny anecdotes. There was even one that had a recipe for apple fritters on it.

It was weird to think that the people of Beach City made as many terrible joked when they were dead as they did when they were still alive. But it made her smile for some reason.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, but I’m still finding new things about this place.” Jasper murmured.

Pearl smiled up at her. “For how small it is on the map, Beach City has a big personality.”

Jasper opened her mouth, but all that came out was a shaky breath when a strange, pale blue light emitted a few yards away, behind the crematorium.

“Holy shit.” She managed.

Pearl quickly pulled her behind a short hedge, whispering “Get down, get down!”

Jasper fell into a crouch, the goosebumps returning in earnest.

“I don’t think that’s the groundskeeper.” Pearl murmured, peeking over the bush with a smile much bigger than anyone in this situation should have. “His flashlight shines yellow…”

Jasper looked over the bush too, breaking into a cold sweat. A sense of dread grew in her chest as she watched the light move, growing brighter as it got closer to the corner of the building. Her heart sped up until it was pounding rapidly in her chest-

Something  _ touched _ her  _ hand _ .

Jasper let out a scream, jumping nearly a foot in the air and coming down on her butt, trying to scramble away from whatever had touched her.

Pearl stared at her with wide eyes in the silence that followed, one hand still outstretched where -Jasper abruptly realized- she had tried to hold Jasper’s hand.

They stared at each other for a few shocked moments before Pearl’s shoulders gave a shudder and a stifled breath of laughter fizzled between her lips. It took about two seconds for the dam to break and Pearl’s tinkling giggles to crescendo into loud half-breathless laughs that had her gripping a knee with one hand and holding her stomach with the other. 

Jasper’s face burned hotter than ever.

“Who’s over there!?” A gravelly voice asked from the direction of the light. It was moving a lot more quickly now.

“Nevermind,” Pearl wheezed between spasming giggles, “That  _ is _ t-the groundskeeper. He-he-he must have bought a new flashlight.”

“Show yourselves!” He yelled, the light finally rounding the corner and darting straight for them.

Pearl looked like she was  _ trying _ to get away, but the laughter still bubbling from her lips had her nearly immobile. With a grumble, Jasper picked her up, threw her over her shoulder, and sprinted away from the light as quickly as her long legs and hot adrenaline would take her.

When she got to the center of the cemetery, she ducked behind the massive statue as Pearl clamped a hand over her mouth in an effort to keep her tapering giggles from giving them away.

The light shone around wildly, the groundskeeper still yelling for trespassers to show themselves. While Jasper was no longer scared of being murdered by ghosts, she was very scared of being arrested.

As his voice began to fade and the light began to dim, Pearl’s laughter finally slowed to a halt with only a few chuckles and stuttered breaths and Jasper set her gently on her feet. 

“I’m truly sorry, Jasper. I didn’t mean to startle you. But- But you jumped so high! I wasn’t expecting it!”

The more adrenaline leaked out of her veins, the more she wanted to start giggling herself. Nearly jumping out of her skin because Pearl wanted to hold hands, how silly.

She chuckled, shaking her head and holding her hand out to Pearl. “It’s okay. But if we happen to be looking at ominous lights in creepy graveyards, give me some warning?”

“Of course.” Pearl smiled up at her, fitting her hand into Jasper’s and giving a little squeeze.

Together, they peered out from behind the statue, breathing sighs of relief when the light was nowhere in sight.

When Jasper heard a growl beside her, it took everything in her power not to scream again. Her eyes darted over to Pearl, relaxing when she saw the woman holding her stomach as a blush bloomed over her face. “I suppose all this running around has given me quite the appetite.”

Jasper didn’t point out that  _ she _ had been the one running while Pearl giggled helplessly. “Most of my family works in a restaurant around here. We could grab something to eat and finish sobering up.”

Pearl squinted at the dim glow of her phone as she checked the time. “It’s nearly four.”

“Already?” Time sure did fly when you were improvising plays and trespassing, but Jasper shrugged. “That’s okay, it’s always open.”

 

The walk to the little diner was even shorter than the walk to the cemetery. The loud neon sign and bright lights inside shone in stark contrast to the dark storefronts around them.

As soon as they walked in, a gust of warm air washed over Jasper, wicking away the night’s chill and making her mouth water with the smell of food. All three heads behind the counter turned towards them when the bell on the door rang and -after a moment- wide grins spread over their faces.

“Yo, Cheeto Puff!” Skinny whooped, hopping over the counter to saunter over. She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted Pearl. She looked her up and down once before her grin became devious, and Jasper wondered if it was too late to go back the way she came.

“And you must be Pearl. I’ve heard  _ so _ much about you.”

A hint of pink touched Pearl’s cheeks, “You have?”

“Oh yeah, Jasper won’t shut up about you.”

“Skinny…”Jasper muttered, frowning deeply to disguise the heat in her cheeks.

“You wouldn’t believe how much she goes on.”

Carny sidled up next to her, throwing an arm around Skinny’s waist. “Pearl is so smart and cute!” She mimicked Jasper’s voice - _ badly- _ and fluttered her eyelashes, “Her eyes are so dreamy and she sings like a goddess.”

Pearl snorted, trying not to giggle as she looked up at Jasper. “Is that so?”

“No-!”

“Oh, definitely!” Sharky’s loud voice interrupted, giving them a sharp grin as she leaned against one of the booths. “I know you’re completely smitten Jasp, but isn’t it a bit to early to meet the family?”

“If you’re all gonna be such a pain in the ass, can we at least get some food?”

“Only if you invite me to the wedding.” Skinny drawled.

Jasper groaned, quickly tugging Pearl over to one of the booths as far from the counter as possible. Even if she was a little annoyed, she still felt a little giddy thrill when Pearl sat next to her instead of across.

Pearl smiled down at her menu, leaning against Jasper’s side. “They seem nice.”

“I question your criteria for nice.” Jasper huffed, fighting a grin. She was embarrassed, but the comment was a relief. “They can be pushy sometimes, so don’t be afraid to tell them to back off if you need.”

“Oh, I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Soon enough, Sharky made her way over, notepad in hand. “So what are you two lovebirds gonna get?”

Jasper ignored the jab, “Steak and eggs, with extra hot sauce.”

“I’ve never been here before. What would you suggest?” Pearl asked, glancing up at Jasper.

Jasper hummed in thought. She had found out pretty quickly that Pearl was a picky eater, but there were a few things on the menu that even she would like. “I think you'd like the omelette, Chip cooks it really well.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.” She directed towards Sharky, squinting at her nametag.

“You got it.” She gave them a wink and headed for the kitchen.

Pearl watched her disappear before looking up at Jasper. “Is her name really Sharky?”

“It’s a nickname.” Jasper chuckled, “I really should’ve introduced you properly.”

She glanced at the two still talking by the register. “They’re giving us a moment of peace, but I don’t expect it to last long. I’ll introduce everyone when they come back to tease us again.”

Pearl grinned. It must’ve been contagious, ‘cause Jasper found herself grinning too.

When Sharky came back with the food, Jasper’s grin grew even bigger. She hadn’t quite realized how hungry the night had made her until the plate was in front of her. It seemed that Pearl shared the sentiment, tearing into the omelette with a fervor Jasper didn’t know she possessed.

The food went quickly, and with it’s departure came her sisters’ return. Skinny and Carny slid into the seat across from them, while Sharky leaned against the side. She wanted to tell them off -the way they all surrounded Pearl made it look like she was about to be jumped into a gang- but the smile on Pearl’s face had her letting them off with narrowed eyes.

“This is Jacky and her wife Carnelian.” Skinny waved lazily, head propped up on her hand as Carny gave Pearl a big grin.

Jasper motioned to Sharky, “That’s Amanda and,” She pointed to a shy face peeking out of the kitchen, “Charlotte's the cook. The rest are on day shift.”

“How many sisters do you have?”

“A lot.”

“Well, it’s certainly nice to meet all of you.”

“Wow, you’re so proper.” Sharky let out an amazed whistle.

Skinny rolled her eyes, prompting Sharky to stick out her tongue. “It’s called ‘basic etiquette’, Sharky. If we weren’t a bunch of wild animals, I’m sure we’d be just as polite.”

“Wild, yes.” Pearl chimed in, “But not animals. You seem like very lovely people.”

Carny let out a shocked laugh, “Lovely? That’s a first! Where in the world did you find her, Jazz?”

“I tripped in front of her house and she helped me out a bit.” Jasper shrugged.

“By ‘helped out’, she means bullying her into my house for first aid.” Pearl corrected.

A round of laughs and a couple snorts rose from her sisters, even Jasper couldn’t help a smile.

“I’m glad you did. Honestly, you have to drag her kicking and screaming if she has to go to a hospital.” Sharky laughed, nudging Jasper’s shoulder.

Jasper scoffed, nudging her back, “Says the one who broke her arm in three places and tried to ‘walk it off’.”

“How in the world did you do that?” Pearl asked, eyes wide.

Skinny groaned. “Don’t get her started.”

“Too late!” Sharky gleefully took a seat next to Skinny and Carny, smushing the couple into the other side of the booth. “I’m already started!”

As Sharky began to tell the tale of how she rode a  _ very _ old shopping cart down a  _ very _ steep hill, Jasper felt herself relax in her seat. She was a bit worried that Pearl and her family would clash, with how different their personalities were. But seeing her laughing and joking with them lifted a weight off her chest and worked a smile onto her lips. Stories were passed around and Chip even brought out a few cups of coffee, staying to tell a couple of her own.

“And then she lit it on  _ fire _ !” Skinny lamented as Carny cackled beside her. “I’m just glad my eyebrows grew back at all, to be honest.”

“Holly was pissed when she saw the kitchen that morning.” Chip chuckled.

Pearl giggled, but it quickly turned into a big yawn. After a closer look, Jasper internally scolded herself for not noticing the dark circles under her drooping eyes.

“We should probably head home, it’s nearly dawn.” Jasper cut in before another anecdote could start.

Skinny sighed, “We should be getting ready for the breakfast rush anyways.”

Pearl gave them a tired smile as she got out of the booth, “It was so nice meeting you all.”

“Aw shucks, it was great meeting you too Pearl!” Carnelian exclaimed. Jasper didn’t know how she had all that energy this late, even she was having trouble holding back a yawn.

Sharky wrapped her in a big hug, “Same here.”

Chip gave her a wave as Skinny let out another sigh and started shooing everyone back to work, glancing back over her shoulder. “Don’t be a stranger Pearl, you’re welcome around here any time.”

“I won’t.” Pearl called as they stepped outside. She looked up at Jasper, hand tucking itself in the crook of her elbow. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

The air was still crisp, despite the slowly growing light. Jasper used it as an excuse to sling an arm around Pearl’s shoulders as they walked. Pearl looked up at the sky with a small smile on her face, and Jasper wondered how she could always look at the sunrise like she was seeing it for the first time, like she couldn’t look away.

When they got to the car, the only one in the empty parking lot of the minigolf building, Pearl dug through her pockets for her keys. Jasper looked around at the sparse sunlight glinting off patches of gravel and reflecting off oil marks.

It was beautiful. Not objectively, of course. It was still an empty, old parking lot. But it felt like the rising sun painted over everything with something heavy; something that made her chest feel full to bursting and her eyes sting just a bit. Jasper found that she wasn’t quite ready to leave.

With little warning, she scooped Pearl into her arms -with a squawk from the thin woman- and sat down on the hood of the car, facing the rising sun with Pearl in her lap.

Pearl looked up at her curiously, and Jasper shrugged. “Thought it might be nice to watch the sun rise for a while longer.”

Pearl glanced at the sky, then back to her in a way that made Jasper’s chest fill just a bit more.

“That sounds wonderful.”

Pearl’s lips met her cheek and she let out a soft sigh as she curled up in Jasper’s lap and got comfortable in her arms, looking up at the slowly changing sky. Jasper looked up too, letting her chin rest on Pearl’s shoulder as she relaxed. The cold chilled her exposed arms, but the small woman in them warmed her up enough to compensate.

She really couldn’t fault Pearl for loving the sunrise so much. With all the smiles and laughter and  _ peace _ it brought lately, it was starting to become Jasper’s favorite part of the day too.


	5. Chapter 5

Pearl felt warm, content, dozing in and out of sleep with big arms wrapped around her and gentle breaths ruffling the hair at the back of her neck.

She was getting used to this. Waking up tangled with Jasper, sunlight streaming through the window. It was Peaceful.  _ She _ was peaceful. It was a stark contrast to the restless energy that usually plagued her. Pearl actually looked forward to sleeping in now, sleepy mornings turning into one of her favorite things. Second only to the way Jasper’s face scrunched up when you booped her nose soft enough not to wake her.

Speaking of: she wiggled to turn in her arms. Looking at Jasper’s face, slack and peaceful, made her heart squeeze and throb heavily in her chest. Jasper looked gorgeous in the sparse sunlight. It lit her hair and cast her face into soft shadows. Pearl smiled, tight feeling in her chest coming out in a soft sigh.

Nonetheless, her hand creeped up to press gently against Jasper’s nose, holding back a giggle when her face scrunched up. One golden eye opened to gaze at her and Pearl winced.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She whispered, hesitant to break the blanket of quiet that settled over them as they slept.

Jasper huffed a laugh, giving her a sleepy grin that squeezed her heart again. “It’s okay, I have things to do today anyways.”

Pearl let out a plaintive “Nooooo,” snuggling closer to Jasper.

Jasper’s laugh was more than a huff this time. Despite Pearl’s best efforts, Jasper dragged herself out from under the covers - stretching her arms above her head and letting out a massive yawn. She wrapped the blankets tighter around Pearl before hefting her into arms. 

“Breakfast?” 

“Please.” Pearl rasped.

She curled closer as Jasper carried her down the stairs and set her in a chair, blankets and all. Pearl watched with a small smile as she deftly set up the coffee maker. Jasper stayed over more often than not at this point, she knew where everything was and felt comfortable in Pearl’s kitchen. It made Pearl fill up with tingling warmth from head to toe.

“What do you have planned for the day?”

Jasper shot her a smile over her shoulder as she cracked eggs into a pan. “Apartment hunting. My lease is almost up, and I’d like to move into a different place. More space, maybe an extra room to work out in.”

Pearl hummed, nodding. “Do you need any help?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

Pearl shuffled over to grab her laptop, setting it up at the table. Over breakfast and -much needed- coffee, they spent the morning searching for available apartments in the area that fit Jasper’s criteria. They found three, which wasn’t promising in itself, but they stuck it out.

When afternoon hit, they got in Pearl’s car to go out to each one.

The second they stepped into the first one, Pearl knew it wasn’t what they were looking for. It was certainly big enough and had a room for Jasper’s work out gear - but it smelled so strongly of mold that Pearl felt nauseous.

After a bit of searching, Pearl found the source to be cracks in the bedroom ceiling the slowly leaked drop after drop of water.

It was quickly crossed off the list.

The second  _ looked _ fine, but the pipes creaked ominously every time any water was turned on. Pearl had been taking care of her own house long enough to know what dangerously rusted pipes sounded like. That one was crossed off too, and Pearl had a chat with the landlord about fixing it, lest it flood and turn into the first one they saw.

The third was perhaps the worst. It was spacious and gorgeous, complete with a loft and a large patio door facing the east. They were halfway through the tour when Pearl’s knee touched a box in the laundry room to have a whole family of rats skitter out from under it and dive through a hole in the wall, giving her the fright of her life and a scream so loud Jasper almost went deaf in one ear.

It was crossed off with maybe a bit more vehemence than necessary.

They finally returned to Pearl’s house and she hung her keys by the door with a weary sigh. Even Jasper looked a bit worse for wear as she plopped down on the couch.

“Well, that could’ve gone better.” Pearl murmured, taking a seat next to her.

Jasper groaned, running a hand through her hair. “You’re telling me.”

Pearl pressed a hand to her arm, “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find you something before your lease is up.” She could probably call around, see if Garnet or Amethyst knew of any good places. Then again, their apartments were a lot smaller than what Jasper was looking for. Maybe Rose? No - she hadn’t lived in an apartment since college.

“Oh, you could move in here.” She didn’t know she said it out loud until Jasper turned to her, looking a bit cautious and confused. Pearl was tempted to take it back or brush it off with a laugh, but refrained. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

“We’ve only been dating for six months, isn’t it a bit too soon?”

Pearl hummed. Jasper definitely had a point. “How about we take a trial week? You live here for a week, and we’ll still look for apartments so you can have one lined up if it doesn’t work out.”

Jasper crossed her arms behind her head, looking up at the ceiling with brows creased in thought. Pearl held her breath, nervously fumbling with her fingers. Finally, she grunted and nodded to herself. “Alright, that sounds good.”

Pearl had to hold herself back from squealing, but couldn’t hold back the wide grin that sprouted across her face. “Oh, that’s  _ wonderful _ Jasper! We can even turn the spare room into a workout room.”

“Are you sure?” Jasper asked, eyes wide.

“Oh definitely, I only ever use that room for storage anyhow. This way, if you stay you can have a workout room, and if you have to settle for a smaller apartment, you’ll still have a place to do it.”

Jasper laughed, wrapping an arm around Pearl to pull her into her side. “You’re really excited about this, huh?”

Pearl thought back to that morning, curled up with Jasper in the early morning light with her heart beating so heavily in her chest. “Definitely.”

 

The next day, Jasper brought over a few of her things after work. Some clothes, a couple magazines, her laptop; enough to get by for the week. Pearl was glad she suggested it, glad that Jasper agreed. Seeing her when she got home from work, when she woke up every morning was bliss.

It was around the fourth day that Pearl’s nerves began to go ragged. Jasper was usually over for a day - two, at most. She gotten used to cleaning up what clutter there was along with her routine. What she hadn’t expected, was how having her over even longer would affect her routine over all.

Jasper had set a glass of water on the table without a coaster at least five times. Every time she opened the fridge, the milk would be in a different spot, though never the one it was  _ supposed _ to be in. Pearl nearly had a heart attack when she came home one day to find Jasper’s dirty clothes left all over the bathroom floor.

But it was alright. It was  _ fine _ . She could handle it just fine, slipping a coaster under her cups, nudging the milk back to it’s rightful place, tossing the clothes in the hamper. She hadn’t noticed it before Jasper moved in, but she could deal with it.

The dam broke when Pearl came into the kitchen before Jasper left for work on Saturday. She smiled at the sight of Jasper at the table, checking to make sure everything was in her bag. It was fantastic to know that she’d be back later. Then her eyes caught the dishes Jasper had left in the sink, not even rinsed, not even  _ stacked _ .

Her breath came a lot faster than she would like, and -before she knew it- her voice was coming out high and reedy, going on and on about the clothes and the milk and the coasters and the dishes,  _ oh god the dishes _ . “It’s- it’s a huge breach of boundaries!” She pressed her hands to her face, “Everything is so out of place and wrong and - and filthy!”

Jasper stared at her for a moment, speechless. Finally, she took a deep breath, voice coming out eerily calm. “Pearl, you never told me any of this.”

Pearl opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. Jasper was right.

“Pearl listen, I love you, but I’m not a mind reader.” Her hand reach up, pausing for a moment before giving Pearl’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “I’ve got to go to work, but make me a list of the stuff that’s bugging you and we’ll talk about it when I get home, okay?”

Pearl nodded quickly, unable to talk. Jasper leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead and strode out the door.

It took about .2 seconds for Pearl to implode. What was _ that _ ? She groaned, letting her back hit the wall so she could slide down to the floor. It all seemed so trivial after coming out in one big rant, how had it gotten to her so badly that she blew up and over reacted? Oh, what Jasper must think of her now…

She let herself sit pitifully on the floor for a while, before shuffling over to grab a pen and some paper and curling up pitifully on the couch. She spent the day going back and forth between writing her list and panicking over that morning. She was completely out of line, she was surprised Jasper wasn’t absolutely livid when she left.

When Jasper finally came home, Pearl hadn’t moved from her fetal position on the couch.

She stepped over cautiously, “Uh, Pearl?”

Pearl jolted and sat up in a hurry, already feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry Jasper, I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that.”

“Hey, it’s alright, I’ve got you.” She wrapped strong arms around Pearl, bringing her back to the couch. “We can work through this, I just need you to be upfront with me about the stuff that bothers you.”

Pearl felt even worse with Jasper comforting her like that. She was the one in the wrong, it shouldn’t be up to Jasper to calm her down. Pearl got herself together as much as she could, rubbing any moisture away from her eyes and running hands through her chaotic hair. It didn’t quite stop the plaintive sniffles that escaped every now and then, but it was an improvement.

“Let’s take a look at that list.” Jasper suggested.

Pearl placed it in her open hand, fingers fumbling nervously as she watched Jasper read it. Jasper’s face went from focused, to surprised, to utterly confused. Pearl bit her lip as she waited for a response.

“Okay, we’re gonna have to compromise on a bit of this.”

Pearl nodded quickly.

“I can make an effort to be neater and not leave anything dirty out, but ‘arranging food by type, size, and label color’ and ‘sorting clothes by material composition’ is a bit much, Pearl.”

Pearl winced. She had worried while she was writing them that it would be a bit unreasonable. “I, um- yes. That’s alright.”

Things felt a lot less tense after that. Pearl allowed herself to relax into the couch cushions, feeling less on edge for the first time since she’d blown up at Jasper. That spurred another question.

“Is there anything you need me to work on?”

Jasper grinned, pulling Pearl into her side. “Nah, I’m fine with you the way you are, but I’ll let you know if I have a problem.”

Things were a lot better after that. It took a few gentle reminders, but Jasper had made a habit of keeping things tidy and it meant the world to Pearl. She was amazed by how little stuff like the food and clothes got to her when she didn’t feel like she was holding onto her sanity by her fingertips.

The next Saturday, she spent the time while Jasper was at work cleaning out the rest of the spare room to make it up to her. When Jasper came home, they moved all of her equipment in and set it up, finishing in time to have a nice dinner and get a head start on some much needed rest.

 

Pearl woke up alone on Sunday morning. Her hand groped the cold sheets with a pout and a grunt before she finally cracked her eyes open. She made her way downstairs, unwilling to open her eyes more than halfway, even as the locked onto the coffeemaker. She started towards it, but soft music caught her attention.

She turned to the spare room, eyebrows knit in confusion as she shuffled over and pushed the door open.

Pearl had never been a religious person, but she certainly felt blessed. The sight of Jasper shining in the morning light, in her workout clothes and steadily pumping a barbell up and down in a way that made her muscles strain against her skin made Pearl feel a bit light in the head and more than a little overheated.

When Jasper put the weight down, she glanced over, eyebrows raising for a moment before a grin split her face.

“Enjoy the show?”

Intelligent words escaped her, so Pearl settled for nodding profusely.

“You know, I could really use a shower after that. Wanna come?”

In more ways than one, Pearl though. She stuck to another nod, drawing a chuckle out of Jasper.

Jasper’s hand ran down her arm and grasped her hand, tugging her gently towards the bathroom. Pearl was grateful. She was sure she’d be standing there with her brain short circuited all day if she hadn’t.

The shower certainly made her feel more awake. Squeaky clean and snuggled up on the couch, cups of coffee in their hands and some shows they missed during the week on the tv, Pearl felt overwhelmingly content. She sighed and laid her head against Jasper’s shoulder. She could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at meislovely on tumblr.


End file.
